200 THE FORE LIMB, 



little the length of the limb. I may here repeat (p. 47) 

 that propulsion is accomplished by the straightening out of 

 the limb, to effectually do which, the joints in question must 

 possess the ability to be freely flexed and extended. Every 

 experienced trainer will have noticed that as a race-horse's 

 fore pasterns become more and more upright from work, the 

 more will he lose his speed and his '* level" style of galloping. 

 This will also occur to a horse whose pasterns have become 

 abnormally oblique on account of sprain of the suspensory 

 ligament, in which case the defect will lie in the inability to 

 straighten the joint freely when weight is thrown on the limb. 

 It is evident that the longer the pastern, the greater will be 

 the play of the fetlock joint. Hence, length, as well as 

 obliquity, of pastern is an indication of speed. 



Polo has done much to teach men in England the 

 necessity of sloping pasterns for work on hard ground. 



Lecoq remarks that : *' The direction of the pastern is 

 almost always influenced by its length. The shorter the 

 pastern, the more upright is it ; and the longer it is, the 

 more is it sloped," This rule may hold good in horses of the 

 same class; but not, at least to the same extent, among 

 animals of different breeds. This French writer also adds 

 with iustice that: '* There are, however, horses — and especially 

 mules and asses-in which the pastern, although very short, 

 is well sloped." As the evil effects of concussion fall much 

 more severely on the fore limb than on the hind leg, its 

 pastern is, normally, more sloping. 



Referring to Clydesdales, Mr. Dykes writes : '* No doubt 

 the upright pastern suits well the upright shoulder and slow 

 action of the English draught-horse, a conformation which 

 can scarcely be called the best for any purpose ; but it will 

 not do in the Clydesdale, which requires a pastern to suit 

 the formation of the shoulder, and to confer the necessary 

 elasticity to counteract the concussion caused by his quick 

 firm step. Short upright pasterns always get worse with age 

 and feeding, and the action in due course of time becomes 

 impeded. A horse with an upright pastern has little or no 



