THE HORSE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1864, 13 February 1880, Page 2

THE HORSE.

[“Turf, Field, and Farm.”] BY PEOP. J.P.E. We propose, as the commencement of a sort of series of articles on live stock to take up and consider in detail some of the prominent characteristics of the various domestic animals, beginning with the horse. The relative proportions of, and exact shape desirable in, each of these points vary considerably in the various breeds. Thus, when speed and activity are what are sought for, an oblique shoulder-blade is a sine qua non, while for heavy harness it can scarcely be too upright, enabling the pressure of the collar to be more easily borne, and allowing the animal *o exert his strength at right angles to its long axis. Many men are good judges of hunters and hacks, but are almost entirely ignorant of the desirable qualities in a coach or cart horse. There are some elements, however, which are essential in any horse, such as good large hocks and knees, flat legs with large sinews, open jaws and full nostrils. It will, therefore, be necessary that I should describe the points of each breed, but I shall here give those points which are always considered of the highest importance for the road or farm horse.

An authority celebrated for his knowledge of fine points says take first the head ; it should be known that the volume of brain contained in it determines the courage and other mental qualities of the horse. Now, as cceteris paribus, size is power, so, without a wide forehead, which part marks the seat of brain, you cannot expect a full development, which marks the faculties known as courage, tractability, good temper, Ac. Hence, in the heavy draught horse, a thick jaw and thick muzzle are not regarded. The size of the muzzle being partly regarded as an element of beauty and as a sign of high breeding. A large and potent nostril is indispensable for horses intended for fast work, and should be desired even in the draught horse, for in drawing heavy loads on a hot day his breathing may be rendered almost as laborious as that of the long distance racer. So also with the jaw, if there is not ample width between the two sides for the development and play of the larynx and windpipe, the wind is sure to be affected, and, in addition, the head cannot be nicely bent on the neck. A defect in this last point is the usual cause of that straight and inelegant setting on of the head which is so common, and which the practical horseman avoids, as alike unsightly and prejudicial to the wind and the mouth, for a horse which cannot give way to the pressure of the bit is sure to become dull in his mouth, and therefore unpleasant to ride or drive. The eye is to be examined with a twofold purpose, first, as an index of the temper, the nature of which is marked by the expression of this organ ; and, second, in reference to its present state of soundness, and the probability of its continuing healthy. A full and clear eye, with a soft, gazelle-like expression, is scarcely ever associated with a bad temper, and will most frequently continue sound, if the management of the horse to which it belongs is proper in itself. The ear should be of medium size, not too small, nor should it be lopped, though many good, lopped-eared horses have been known, and some very superior breeds, like that of the celebrated Melbourne, are notorious for this defect, if such it may be called in this particular family. The neck should be of moderate length, all beyond a certain dimension being waste, and even 6 moderate-sized head at the end of an extremely long bone being too much for the muscles to support. It should come out full and muscular, with a sweep between tbs withers and tbs bosom, and should gradually diminish until it runs into the head, with an elegant bend just behind the ear. A very narrow throat suddenly bent at the upper part, known as the throttle, is very apt—at least such has been my experience—to be associated with the roarers, and on that account is seriously objected to by our leading horsemen and most eminent writers upon this subject. In the fore quarters there are several points to be examined, and among these the shoulder is regarded as of the most consequence, when the horse under consideration is Intended for the saddle. “It is evident,” says a late authority, “ that unless there is length of the blade, and also of the true arm, there cannot be a full surface for the attachment and play of the muscles, nor can there be the same amount of spring to take off the jar at each foot-fall. The straighter the angle formed by the long axis of each of these bones, the less spring there will be. So, also, if the angle is not sufficient, the muscles of the shoulder blade will not thrust forward to the true arm, nor will the latter be sufficiently clothed with muscles to act on the forearm, commonly known by horsemen as the arm.” In view of this, it is found that with an upright shoulder, not only is the stride in all the paces short, and the action stumpy, but there is not that elastic movement which enables the horse to curry his body along rapidly and evenly, without rising alternately behind and before, thereby jarring himself or his rider. On the other hand, the upright shoulder, loaded with arthick mass of muscles, is useful in the draught, and, to a certain extent, also in the carriage horse, in both of which the pressure of the collar requires a steady and comparatively motionless surface to bear it easily.

The difference between the two extremes of oblique and upright shoulders will be seen by an examination of a cut of a skeleton horse ; it will be seen that in the former the angle between the blade and the true arm is very considerable, while in the latter it is much less. Hence, it results that when the muscles of the blade bring the axis of arm into nearly the same line with its own axis, the forearm in the oblique shoulder will he thrust forward and raised to a greater degree than in the upright formation. It follows, therefore, that horses intended to have high and at the same time forward action should have oblique shoulders, for, without them, they will almost to a certainty have very mean and low action, or, if they do bend their knees, they will put their feet down again in nearly the same place they took them from, which peculiarity we often see displayed in the heavy draught horses. This is one of the most important uses of the obliquity of the shoulder-blade, as it seems to me, and one which has not been generally admitted by writers on this branch of the subject, though all are ready to admit that in some way or other this formation is essential to good action.