22 



MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



sell well a light horse must possess as much as may be displayed 

 and used to advantage. Excellence at a walk is a very desirable 

 quality in all types of horses. The feet of the active walkers 

 leave the ground with a quick snap, and move straight away, 

 swerving neither to the right nor to the left, nor should the folding 

 of the knees or the flexing of the hocks result in an outward 

 pitching or spreading. In addition to being snappy, regular, 

 and straight, it should be fast. This is a point often neglected, 

 and many good acting horses are provokingly slow walkers. 



Action at the trot will vary according to the class. In the 

 roadster a strong, long-reaching knee-and-hock action, with the 



feet picked up 

 snappy, is most es- 

 sential. The stride 

 should be long and 

 not too high. In 

 the coacher, a rather 

 high, bold knee-and- 

 hock action is the 

 most sought. In 

 all classes the move- 

 ment should be 

 straight and regu- 

 lar. There must 

 be style and dash 

 in the lifting and 

 planting of the feet. 

 The foot should be snapped from the ground and carried for- 

 ward, while the limb unfolds, as if following the rim of a 

 wheel. The hind feet should leave the ground with the same 

 quick movement, and at no time should be allowed to hang 

 back and give the horse the appearance of not gathering him- 

 self well together. 



Quality is a term rather loosely applied and has reference to 



Fig. 21.- 



- Hackney Coach Team. 

 and stylish. 



Well-trained 



