CONFORMATION OF THE HORSE. 3 



The Head. 



A glance at a horse's head affords evidence as 

 to whether it is of good, bad, or indifferent breeding. 

 It varies in its size, in its outhne, and in the ex- 

 pression upon the face. A saddle horse should 

 have a small head, small ears, a thin muzzle, and a 

 wide under-jaw ; the skin ought to be thin, and 

 the various prominences upon the skull should be 

 seen in outline through the skin. Wide nostrils 

 are necessary for a fast horse, and the degree of 

 development in this region attains its highest per- 

 fection in the race horse. In many cart horses, 

 more especially in most pedigrees — Clydesdales and 

 Shires — the nasal bones are convex, and this con- 

 fers upon the nose the prefix " Roman " — Roman- 

 nosed. It is regarded as a mark of beauty in this 

 region. If a saddle horse has a heavy head, it 

 makes it bear heavily upon the hands of the 

 rider, and the horse is more liable to stumble than 

 one with a gracefully-carried, light, head. The 

 carriage of the ears is, to some extent, an indication 

 of the animal's temperament. These organs should 

 be small, carried erect, thin, and covered with 

 short, fine, soft hair. Fine hair is an indication of 

 good breeding, and all horses that have come from 



