BONES OF LIGHT AND HEAVY HORSES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 627, 13 December 1913, Page 7

BONES OF LIGHT AND HEAVY HORSES.

♦__— —— Definite information concerning differences between the bones of light and heavy horses has been obtained by B. Hardt, of Jena University, Germany. Upon chemical analysis of many specimens of metacarpus or front cannon bones, he found that on the whole the bones of draught horses contain more organic matter and less mineral matter than those of light horses. There are also some minor differences in composition, but he concluded that there are greater differences in form and strength than in the chemical composition of the bonea of the two types. This supports the common statement of horsemen that the bones of light horses are generally harder than those of draught horses, for the hardness of bones and its strength are known to increase with additional percentages of mineral matter. Since there is a general co-ordina-tion'of structure throughout the body the texture of the skin and hair furnishes an index to the character of the bones. Smooth skin and fine hair are generally possessed by light horses, and particularly by those retaining sound ]°gs to old age. When the same quality of hide and hair is found on the cannons of a draught horse, it is a fair assumption that there is a corresponing density of bone. The reputation of such horses for soundness of underpinning supports that conclusion.