194 ^-^^ i^^;?^ LIMB, 



work (Fig. 259), the pasterns become abnormally upright. 

 The horse whose fore legs are shown in Fig. 303 had 

 unusually sloping pasterns. 



The fact of a horse being ''calf-kneed'' renders the back 

 tendons and check ligaments more liable to sprain by violent 

 •descent of the fetlock than if the knee were straight. It 

 tends, however, to make the animal more sure-footed, by 

 bringing the weight back from the toe. In all cases this 

 condition adds to the tension to which the back tendons are 

 put when they are flexing the foot. Although it Is in no way 

 an advantage ; it is much less a detriment to the cart-horse, 

 which has rarely to go out of a walk or slow trot, than to the 

 saddle horse or fast trapper. Many heavy cart-horses are 

 '' back at the knees " (Fig. 232), which is a shape of the fore 

 limbs that is not uncommon among Arab and East Indian 



As the bones of the knee give attachment to important 

 tendons and ligaments, and as other important tendons, 

 respectively, pass over the front and rear aspects of that 

 joint ; it is a beauty, recognised by all good judges, for the 

 horse to have broad, large knees, as viewed from the front. 

 The front surface of the knee should also be flat (Fig. 298) ; 

 for any prominence of the part, as in the case of a ** big " 

 knee, will point to the probability of unsoundness, which is, 

 however, a subject outside the scope of this book. 



From Knee to Fetlock. — We know from experience 

 that the more nearly parallel the back tendons are to the 

 cannon-bone — other things being equal — the better able will 

 the limb be to stand work* Why this should be the case 

 I cannot say with certainty. I may, however, hazard the 

 conjecture that, as ^* tying-in " below the knee is due to the 

 smallness of the bones which form the groove through which 

 the back tendons pass, this condition may point to want of size 

 in these tendons; for '*the function makes the organ." It 

 appears that the calibre of this groove (or rather canal), which, 

 to a great extent, is formed by the trapezium, is, as a rule, 



