BUYING A SADDLE-HORSE. 



141 



it, to our heel. Tlie shank of the fore-leg, then, or the 

 part between the knee and fetlock, corresponds to the 

 hand, and the hoof and pastern to tlie fingers ; while 

 the shank of the hind-leg, or the part between hock and 

 fetlock, corresponds to our foot, the hoof and pastern 

 being the toes. The horse may thus be said to walk 

 upon the tips of his fingers and toes, and it will readily 

 be seen why the leg weakens in proportion as the pas- 

 tern and shank lengthen. The arm proper of the horse 

 is very short and almost concealed from view, reaching 

 from the forward point of the shoulder to the elbow, 

 which is close against the side. 



The more oblique the shoulder, the greater the power 

 of this arm to throw the forearm forward, so as to sup- 

 port the body in the gallop, and in coming down from 

 a leap. A straight shoulder is adapted for pulling loads, 

 but is not fit for the saddle, except upon level roads, be- 

 coming positivel}^ dangerous in broken ground. The 

 two npper members of the hind-leg, reaching from the 

 hip to the hock, are together commonly called the thigh, 

 as the thigh proper, which stretches from the hip to the 

 stifle-joint, is very short and almost concealed from ob- 

 servation. The stifle - joint, which corresponds to our 

 knee, lies close against the flank. Read the descrip- 

 tion, to some extent traditional, of the wonderful mare 

 Swallow, in Kingsley's " Hereward the Wake." She was 

 evidently not from Arab stock, with her big ugly head ; 

 but horses — like men and women — of extraordinary 



