86  The  Devon  Park  Horse  as  an  Army  Horse. 
the  worst  of  keep — a typical  wheel-horse  in  a horse  artillery 
team  ; the  smaller  ones  mounted  infantry  cobs  up  to  16  stone. 
His  colour  is  generally  black,  or  dark  brown,  with  lighter 
muzzle,  with  little  white  markings  ; he  should  have  no  hair  on 
shanks  or  fetlocks,  broad  back,  and  loins  broad  and  arched  ; 
big  girth,  large  arms  and  gaskins,  very  short  canons,  broad 
quarters,  feet  of  good  horn  but  not  large  ; sloping  riding 
shoulders,  and  sloping  croup,  and  neck  long  and  arched.  He 
has  a small  and  lean  head.  In  the  best  specimens  the  head 
resembles  that  of  the  Arab  and  the  thoroughbred,  with  the  same 
bright  bold  eye.  Even  in  the  less  breedy  specimens  the  head 
is  generally  small  and  lean,  though  sometimes  ugly.  Another 
feature  of  the  breed  is  the  full  development  of  the  back 
tendons,  which  stand  well  out,  and  well  back  from  the  canon 
bones.  This  gives  big  measurement  below  knee. 
Longevity  and  Soundness. 
During  the  passing  year,  1910,  I have  inspected  about  100 
Pack  mares  and  geldings  between  ten  and  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  and  I believe  all  to  be  practically  sound,  and  all  are  still 
at  work.  Their  canon  bones  are  clean  and  their  hocks  free  from 
curb  or  spavin.  A brown  gelding  about  thirty  years  old,  now 
working  in  a miller’s  cart,  was  out  hunting  last  week.  This 
cob  some  years  ago  was  matched  to  trot  in  a gig  three  miles 
along  the  turnpike  road  in  ten  minutes.  He  did  it.  A brown 
mare  working  on  a farm,  twenty-nine  years  old,  bred  foals  in 
1907  and  1908.  A brown  mare,  twenty-seven  years  old,  work- 
ing in  a butcher’s  cart,  has  bred  foals  for  the  last  two  years  and 
is  now  in-foal.  A black  mare  twenty-four  years  old  bred  a foal 
last  year.  A black  mare  seventeen  years  old  has  bred  foals  in 
the  last  four  seasons  and  is  now  in-foal. 
A black  mare  eleven  years  old,  on  a hot  day  in  June,  1909, 
in-foal  and  lying  out  in  the  fields,  was  put  into  a trap,  and  four 
farmers  got  in  it.  She  trotted  twenty-six  miles  over  hills  and 
Dartmoor  without  a whip  to  Huckaby  Races  on  Dartmoor  and 
back — fifty-two  miles.  She  often  trots  to  Plymouth — thirteen 
miles — in  an  hour.  This  mare  was  out  hunting  last  Saturday. 
A black  mare,  13.3£,  ten  years  old,  lies  out,  works  on  the  farm, 
and  goes  in  a gig.  Once  a week  she  goes  hunting  by  way  of  a 
holiday,  carrying  her  master— 16  stone — over  this  hilly  rough 
country,  rather  better  than  our  old  hunters  carry  us.  A black 
gelding  thirty-five  years  old  worked  on  a farm  and  pulled  a gig 
up  till  last  harvest,  when  the  owner  pensioned  him  off  for  the 
rest  of  his  days.  I inspected  this  gelding  a few  days  ago,  and 
he  still  trots  with  fine  action  and  gallops  freely,  is  fat,  and  his 
limbs  and  joints  are  absolutely  fine  and  clean. 
The  breed  is  reported  to  be  absolutely  free  from  spavin. 
