2IO JUDGING HORSES 



The working parts of the body should be so arranged that 

 the levers will give the animal the greatest power to pull. 

 Great breadth and massiveness in all parts of the horse 

 indicate strength and give the animal required weight. 

 Symmetry, or correct proportion of the parts of the body 

 to one another, lends beauty of appearance and increases 

 efficiency as well. The animal should be blocky, short 

 legged, and close. to the ground. 



Quality. — QuaUty is a term used to designate degree of 

 refinement in physical make-up. Over-refinement should 

 not be sought for in the draft horse. Weight and refine- 

 ment are two opposite characters, and extreme refinement 

 is obtained only at the sacrifice of weight, which is the first 

 and most important essential. The bones of the animal, 

 while large and strong, should be free from roughness. The 

 tendons, wherever they may be seen on the body of the 

 horse, should be large, strong, and clearly defined. The 

 skin should feel soft and pliable beneath the touch of the 

 hand, and the hair should be fine and silky. This is espe- 

 cially true of the " feather," which is the hair that grows 

 from the back of the cannon bone from the knee to the fet- 

 lock joint in the hairy-legged breeds. 



Action. — Although strength is the primary requisite 

 and great speed is not essential, good action is an important 

 qualification of the draft horse. Judgment should not be 

 passed until the animal has been made to move. Free, 

 strong movement indicates vigor and good condition, while 

 listless action indicates sluggishness. Action also serves 

 to bring out defects in the structure and working parts of 

 the body which might otherwise be hidden. 



In examining for action, the horse should be led straight 

 away from the judge and viewed from the rear. The feet 



