12 



.WIEHK'A A M ( SKIM CI ID!-: I.EA FLhTS 



V\ir. 28. The draft horse. Hear 

 ^howiii^ action of pelvis and hackhone 



An altciiij)! has been made 

 lo express the strenj^tli acquired 

 ii) this })ree(l in the mounted 

 skeleton of the diaft horse (Fi^. 

 2()). 'Hiis sk(deton has been so 

 mounted as to show the act ion of 

 the hones when the animal is 

 diawin^ a heavy load. We nuist 

 imagine that the shouldei's rest 

 against a collar upon which the 

 horse is exerting itsener^}'. Note 

 that the head andhody are low- 

 ei-ed, the hind le^s are doinjj; the 

 ji;reater amount of work, the fore 

 le^s acting assupj)()rts. though a 

 portion of the weijz;ht of the body 

 has been thrown ajjjainst the col- 

 lar. From the reai' view (Fig. 28) 

 note that the right hip joint is 

 nnich nearer the median line 

 than is the left. The joint is 

 also lower, and indeed, the entire 

 right side of the pelvis has been 

 lowered and thrown well to the 

 left, so that w^hen at the moment 

 of greatest strain the right leg is 

 extended, -fhe pressure upon the 

 anterior part of the body, and 

 thence upon thcM'ollar, is apj)lied 

 in a line which coincides with 

 the main axis of the l)ody. At 

 the next moment the left leg is 

 supposed \q be exerted, the right 

 is released, the pelvis tluMi swings 

 to the right, the curve in the 

 backbone becomes reversed and 

 t he pressure is again applied (this 

 time from the left) along the 

 main axis of the body as before ; 

 and so on from step to step. 



