CHOOSING A HORSE 25 



general appearance. The neck and body should blend smoothly 

 at the attachment. 



Chest. — Among light horses the chest should obtain its 

 capacity more from depth than width. A deep chest permits 

 a freer play of the shoulders, and indicates staying power. 

 A wide chest throws the fore legs out of hne with the hind ones 

 and causes the horse to paddle or roll in his action. The chest 

 should be not only deep, but the breast should be carried forward 

 with some prominence. 



Shoulders. — To give elasticity to the movement and to per- 

 mit of quick and clean action the shoulder should be long and 

 sloping well into the back, thus strengthening the back and 

 extending the length of the underline. The high action of the 

 coach horse and the long-reaching clean action of the roadster 

 depend much on a long oblique shoulder. A steep shoulder 

 prevents a strong rapid movement and results in hard stilted 

 action, leading to defects of feet and legs. 



Arms. — Among Ught horses the arm should be short and 

 comparatively upright, giving the animal an upstanding ap- 

 pearance. 



Elbows. — The elbow should work snugly alongside the 

 animal; if too closely "tied in," as it is termed, the toes are 

 usually thrown out ; if turned out, the toes are likely to be 

 thrown in. 



The fore-arms should be long, wide, and well muscled. The 

 capacity of the animal to cover much ground at a step depends 

 on the direction of the shoulders and the length of the fore- 

 arms. Long sloping shoulders, upright arms together with 

 long fore-arms, give much distance from the withers to the knee, 

 which is considered very essential in animals of speed. The 

 muscles should be well developed and stand out distinctly just 

 below the junction of the leg and body and taper gracefully 

 downward. The fat accumulates very little at this point, and 

 it is a safe guide to the muscular development of the animal. 



