FUNDAMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS 103 



Pasterns. — The pasterns should be long, strong, and 

 sloping. Short, straight pasterns indicate imperfect action 

 and lack of wearing qualities. 



Legs. — -The legs should, as a whole, be straight, strong, and 

 well placed under the body. A perpendicular line dropped 

 from the point of the shoulder should divide the leg and foot 

 into two lateral halves. A line dropped from the point of 

 the scapula should divide the elbow-joint and pass through 

 the centre of the foot. 



Feet. — The feet should be large, round, open at the heel, 

 and the sole concave. The walls should be straight and the 

 slope should correspond to the slope of the pasterns. The 

 bars should be strong, the frog large and elastic, the heels 

 wide, the horn dense, dark colored, and smooth in texture. 



Body. — Heart girth. — The heart girth is synonymous 

 with the chest. It should be deep, broad and full, thus 

 giving ample space for the heart and lungs. 



Ribs. — The ribs should be long, well arched, and placed 

 close together. Good length is indicative of full depth in 

 the body, and close spacing to compactness or close knit form. 



Back. — ^The back should be short, straight, broad, and 

 strong. 



Loins. — The loins should be smooth, broad, strong, deep, 

 and full, which is indicative of a close, full-made coupling, 

 one of the chief characteristics of a well-made animal. 



Underline. — ^The underline should be long and well let 

 down in the flanks, which indicates good depth of body. 



Hindquarters. — Hips. — The hips should be wide, level, 

 and smoothly covered. Prominent hips are usually indica- 

 tive of open conformation. 



Croup. — ^The croup should be long, smooth, level, broad, 

 and muscular. A dropping croup is not only unsightly 

 but objectionable from the standpoint of power or action. 



Thighs. — ^The thighs should be long, muscular, and deep. 

 The width of the animal from the hips should be carried 

 perpendicularly to the ground, a line thus drawn coinciding 

 with the thighs. 



Gaskins or Lower Thighs. — The gaskins or lower thighs 

 should be long, broad, and muscular. The muscular develop- 



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