FARM JOTTINGS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1005, 21 November 1883, Page 4

FARM JOTTINGS.

Characteristics of the Clydesdale Horse From a recent contribution on the above subject to the American National Live Stock Journal by a writer signing himself “ GlenifTer,” we extract the following:— Referring, first, to the head, the typical Clydesdale has a thick muzzle, large, open nostrils, and broad jaw. The eye should be full, prominent, vigorous, yet placid and expressive.. Between the eyes the forehead should be broad, and from the eyes to the ears It 'should taper gradually. The ears should be long and active. The head should: be well and firmly set on to the neck; ! which ought to be well- arched, strong, and massive, and should join intO the shbiilders neatly, with full neck vein. The shoulders should slope backwards, but not so far as to let the collar, slip back. An upright shoulder is incompatible with an active step. A long, quick, yet firm step is regarded as one of the distinctive features of the Clydesdale breed, and that step is mainly owing to the gently sloped shoulder. The shoulders should be deep; the fore-arm altogether powerful. Looked at from the side, the fore-arm should be brdad and substantially provided with muscle, which should be long and strong. The length of the fore-arm should be proportionate to the length of the shoulder. The knee shobld be broad and flat, and easily , definable from the rest of the leg. Some good judges do not seem to care for a clearly defined knee, prefe|tia|vjltplSis' with large bone under the knee, so that the knee joint is little more than observable. The cannon bone should be short, broad from a front view, tapering backwards, and broader still from a side view. The bone under the knee ha's been well described as ,** razor-like,” being shaped as a razor. Big, flat bone is desirable, yet biggest-bobed animal is not always the strongest. If the bpne is flat and well provided with sinew or be. toobig, bat a moderately sized bone, if flat and well covered with sinew, is far preferable to a much larger bone if the bone is roundish or. deficient in sinew. The father 1 of the Clydesdale is looked uppn,, .as . a point of. considerable importance. The hair should.spring from the very edge, of the- bone, and be silfcyi^or : darlyy or pily. It -is to be feared that the present rage for rank feather may be detrimental to the breed; 'Longhair oh the legs of a farm horse iso great bother to the ploughman—it gathers so much mud —and, besides, it has been observed that hordes, with long hair soon get what is dafrhti* On the' legs, and do not long withstand! the hard wear of the streets. Durability is indicated by the smews tof the, leg-b£tng thick add strong and thrown well back from the bone, so that they may be felt by the hand. The pastenrs and feet are very important points about all draft horses. The end of the shank bpne, or fetlock, .shpuld „be large, so as to give full play tendons. The pastern ought to .sio that the leg may have elasticity, enough to, counteract or withstand thei concussion: created. by a quick, firm step.’* ‘ A leg: with short, upright pasferns sooner- gives way under continued belfry work than dhe that slopes, and observation also teaches that high feeding: sqoner impedes the action of a tuwse with upright and short pasterns _thaa that,pf ope withlong sloping pasitems* i The pastern :fe a small point in theforttiation of a horse; yet it is most important; and therefore it is well to -understand the best forms of it. Feet should be of fair depth, round, nicely sl&pekVand sound, -The chest should be full and wide.; Looked at from the ,fix>9L;j^;f^tie^ i apart, uwJct add nOt .biitside the body. The pf. iCthe! chest should be And, .broad. Draft horses oshoiild have short backs, and well-

'Sprang ribs. A long back and flat ‘ prifis .detract from ,the animal’s strength and durability. . Some good Clydesdales are to. be, seen with rather long backs,, and Still more frequently with defective ribs, but breeders are aiming at the removal of these defects. Deficiency,, in, the last rib makes the loin SCmewhat weak. The back should not < l&'ldwf but short and' broad. A compact, strong-looking middle piece is a gobtp fCatrife. The hind quarters should.be broad, low-set and powerful, r ‘Ph' bo account should they be higher llMan.dicfore quarters. The tail should .iSUtpd weft .cut, r. The thighs should be deep, broad a'nd muscular. The hind legs,- as well as .the fore legs, should be broad, when looked at from the side, and shoold bWr all- be’clad with clean, cfearfy-rfeAned iflusde. The hocks should be broad and sinewy, yet clean

and free of all excess of flesh arid appearances of unsoundness. Some object to straight hocks, others have little to say against.thecp,, if the other parts proportionate and the action sound. generally conceded; however, that affords less propelling power than one that is slightly sloped. If the; thighs are good and full, the bone of the hind leg should, on the out-

side, descend perpendicularly as far as the ietlbck joint. On the inside there shxildbe a slight curvature from the hbCk tb the ground, the leg should be short, broad, and flat, clean and smooth and straight, or curved slightly forward. "'Here, again, l the sinews should be large and clearly defined, and the

feather sfiprildjbq similar to that on the

fore leg!", The hind pasterns should be a Ifttle. larger than the fore pasterns, • g ahff sh&md have a greater slope. the, bifid pasterns are short and up- ' right, thie animal is always forcing its toes into the ground, which, under a heavy load, cannot fail to have in time a'damaging effect on the soundness and strength of the leg. The action of the Clydesdale is true, and lively for his jniQ and. weight.: The head should be well carried, the step regular, measured, deliberate, and firm, the feet lifted ' ’wall, off the ground and placed down again quickly and firmly, SO as not to disturb the grace and

lintioh of : the general movements. When the animal is standing still his • ]i legi* Slibuld be evenly set beneath him '* / —perhaps : slightly inclined forward. wihlioation outward is conworse as the animal gets older. Nearly all the propelling power lies in the hind - H, ahd’it should be scanned x carefully, so as to see that body and hocks are near to eacih other, ind the leg curved ui&shghtly fomsnJtl.he hone flatand clean,