POINTS OF A FARM HORSE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2137, 30 December 1880, Page 4

POINTS OF A FARM HORSE.

The relatives proportions of, and exact shape desirable in our domestic animals, vary considerably ia the various breeds, Thus, ■when speed and activity are what are sought Joe nil oblique shoulder blade is a sine qua nett/, while for heavy harness it can scarcely he too upright, enabling the pressure of the collar to be more, easily borne, and allowing the animal to 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 hooka 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 which ore always considered of the highest importance for the road or farm horse. An authority celebrated for his knowledge of fine points says, taka first the head. It should bo known that the volume of brain contained in it determines the courage and other mental qualities of the horse. Now, as size is power, so, without a wide forehead, which part marks the seat of the brain, you cannot expect a full development, which marks the faculties know n as courage, traotability, good temper, &o. Hence, in the heavy draught horse, a thick jaw a"d 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 ho affected, and, in addition, the head cannot he nicely bsnt on the neck. A defect in this last point is the usual cause of that straight and inelegant settle g on of the head which is bo common, and which the practical horseman avoids, as moat unsightly and prejudicial to the wind and the mouth ; for a horse which cannot wive way to the pressure of the bit is sure to become dull in his mouth, and therefore unpleaiant to' ride or drive. The eye is to bo examined with a twofold purpose—first, as an ini?nr of the temper, the nature of which is marked hyi the expression of this organ ; and second, in reference to its present state of aonndneM, and the probability of its continuing healthy. A full and clear eye, with a soft gazslle-like expression, is scarcely aver associated with a bad temper, and wilL~ most frequently continue sound _if tile 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«ued horses have been known, and some very aaperior 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 a moderately-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 the withers and the bosom, and should gradually diminish until it runs into the bead, with an elegant bend just behind the ear. A very narrow throat suddenly bent at the upper part, known as the throttle, is vary apt—at least such has been my experience—to be associated with he roarers, and on that account is seriously objected to by our leading horsemen and most eminent writers upon this subject. In the forequarters 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 eame 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 bo 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 pace short, and the action stumpy, but there is not that elastic movement which enables the horse to carry 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 a thick mass of muscle, 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 out 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 mach less. Hence, it results that when the muscles of the blade bring the axis of the arm into nearly the same line with its own axis, the forearm in the oblique shoulder will be '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 seme time, forward action should have oblique shoulders, for ’without them, they will almost to a certainty have very mean and low action.—“ Turf, ITield, and Farm.”