8o PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



bone and joint, should be prominent. The hair 

 should be fine and silky, the bones smooth, the 

 joints neat and the lower limbs free from superflu- 

 ous flesh. The action of the draft horse is par- 

 ticularly important in America. In the old country, 

 where speed is not so important, the heavy and 

 clumsy draft horse answers very well for hard 

 work, but here even farmers desire action, and this 

 is especially required by expressmen and others 

 using large numbers of draft horses. Feet must 

 be picked up with a snap and carried clear of the 

 ground. High knee action is not essential, but a 

 strong, steady movement of both knee and hock, 

 without suddenness, is very important. The head 

 should be lean, but not out of proportion to the 

 body, having plenty of breadth between the eyes. 

 The neck must be strong and muscular, with a 

 slight arch. The shoulders should not be long and 

 sloping as with light horses, but more upright, 

 being well set in the back. The chest should be 

 full and deep, indicating large capacity of the vital 

 organs. The knee must be broad, the cannon bone 

 round, with the tendons extending back to back, so 

 that the attachment is deep and strong. The pas- 

 tern, which is an important part of the leg, should 

 be fairly long and perfectly smooth and free from 

 extra flesh. The feet ought to be large, heavy, 

 dense, preferably black in color and the frog large. 

 The body should be short on top, long below, broad 

 along the back, with ribs strongly attached. 



The hock requires most careful study, for this 

 joint is the seat of many troubles. As the horse 

 stands in a natural position the hock should be 

 straight and true, viewed from behind, showing no 

 evidence of weakness. Where the hock holds a 

 true position, the hind feet also stand true, neither 



