CONFORMATION— THE STRUCTURE 



13 



pass throiigk the centre of the elbow-joint and meet the ground 

 at the centre of the foot ^ (Fig. 11). 



Body — Chest. — Deep, 

 full, large girth. 



Ribsi — I^ng, 



well 



sprung, close. 



Bach. — Short, straight, 



strong. 



Loins. — Broad, strong, 

 coupling well back, smooth ; 

 flank, close, full, deep; 

 top line short, level ; under 

 line long, let well down in 

 flank. 



Hindquarters Ilips. 



— Wide, smooth, level. 



Croup. — Long, level, 

 broad, muscular. 



Tail. — Set high, well 

 carried. 



Thighs. — Long, mus- 

 cular, deep. 



Stifles. — Wide, thick, 

 muscular. 



Gasldns. — Long, broad, muscular. 



Hocks. — Size in proportion to weight of horse, wide, deep, 

 straight, flat, smooth, point prominent, well supported. 



Fig. 9. — Plantar surface of right fore-hool: 

 a, a, bearing surface of the toe; a, b, bearing sur- 

 face of the side walls or mammse; 6, c, bearing 

 surface of the quarters; d, buttress, or angle formed 

 by wall and bar; e,_bar; /, sole; /', branches of the 

 sole; g, white line; it passes between the sole and 

 bars and ends at g'; h, horny frog; t, branches ol 

 the frog; k, heels, bulbs, or glomes of the hoof; 

 I, median lacuna of horny frog. Between the bars 

 and the horny frog lie the lateral lacunae of the 

 frog. 



^ The correct standing position of the horse at rest has formerly 

 been determined from side view by a perpendicular line dropped from 

 the tuberosity of the scapula, which it was claimed should divide the leg 

 to the fetlock and meet the ground just back of the heel. It has been 

 frequently demonstrated, however, that the best horses do not conform 

 to this standard, but show, as a rule, a slight deviation downward and 

 backward, which brings the fetlock posterior to the line which termi- 

 nates in the centre of the foot. Recently Doctor H. Schwyter, technical 

 secretary to the federal chief veterinarian of Switzerland, has established 

 the direction described above as being correct. By it the centres of 

 weight-bearing and of the base of support coincide as they should. 



