SHOULDER-BLADES OF THE HUNTER. 191 



the ground, such as wood pavement or asphalte, be unsuitable 

 to the use of toe-pieces, the animals, even if they have not to 

 go out of a walk, should have oblique shoulders ; because in 

 this case the fore legs will be concerned more in maintaining 

 the stability of the body than in propelling it We may 

 also infer that horses which have toe-pieces on their fore 

 shoes, will do their work best when their shoulders are 

 upright. 



The shoulders of the hack and hght harness horse ought to 

 be oblique and light in order to obtain sure-footedness, good 

 forward reach, and sufficient knee action. Although the 

 match trotter should be built more or less like a race-horse, 

 it is even more necessary for his shoulders to be sloping than 

 for those of the galloper ; because, unless they are so, he 

 cannot have free knee action. I may mention that the fast 

 trotter requires to be able to bend his knees a good deal more 

 than the race-horse. 



The shoulder-blades of the hunter and chaser, as I have 

 before said, should be long and oblique, so as to enable 

 him, in the best possible manner, to resist the shock of 

 landing over a fence. On account of having this special 

 kind of work to do, his shoulders should be more muscular 

 than those of the race-horse. The fact of his shoulders being 

 sloping, will enable him to ''take off" more cleverly at any 

 obstacle than he could do, were they upright. 



The term "good shoulders " or - bad shoulders " is nearly 

 always a comparative one ; for shoulders which might be very 

 bad in one type of horse, might be very good in another 

 type ; and vice versa. Besides, we rarely see shoulders which 

 would be unsuitable for any class of work, supposing, of 

 course, that the other parts of the body were of appropriate 

 conformation. 



The Humerus. — The position and form of this bone, 

 which lies between the shoulder joint and elbow, are so hidden 

 by the muscles about it, that it is difficult to form a correct 

 opinion as to its conformation. Even if it were exposed to 



