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Show POINTS ON SELECTION OF SOUND HORSE ; Wi57 1 FIG. 1 REGIONS OF THE HORSE. 1. Muzzle. IS. Arm. 35. point of hip. i Lips. 19- 1-lbow. 3d. Coupling, i Nostril. 20. Pore flank. 37. Hind flank. 4 Face. 21- Forearm. 3S. Sheath. i Eve. 22. Knee. 39. Stifle joint. 6. Forehead. 23. Cannon. 40. Seat of thorouerhpln. 7. Foretop. 24. Fetlock Joint. 41. Seat of hog spavin g. Ears. 2n. Pastern. 42. Seat of bone spavin. 9. H11. 2b. Coronet. 43. Seat of ringbone. 10. Jaw. , 2i- Hoof. 44. Seat of curb. 11 Throatlatch. a. Scat of sldebone. 45. Hock. 12' Nsck. 29. Seat of splint. 4fi. Gaskln. 13. Grest. 30. Chestnut. 47. Thigh. 1 14 Withers. 31. Abdomen. 4S. Quarter. 15 Shoulder. 32. Ribs. . 49. Croup. 16. Breiist. 33. Back. 60. Point of buttock. 17. Point of shoulder. 34. Loin. 51. Tail. Aq understanding of the desirable and undesirable conditions found in ' horses, together with a knowledge of their relative values, will enable the purchaser to select a better animal with a considerable saving of time,, inconvenience in-convenience and expense. A thorough examination for the various forms of blemish, vice, faulty conformation and unsoundness In a horse is absolutely essential If serviceableness is to be secured, se-cured, and a definite method of procedure pro-cedure should be adhered to in making the examination, which should correspond corre-spond to the order in which the various vari-ous steps most conveniently present themselves. Figure 1 names the different dif-ferent regions of the horse to which attention will be invited. Stable Vices. Evidences of stable Wees can best be seen by observing a horse in his stall. Halter Pulling. Horses wearing extra heavy halters (particularly heavy rope halters) would be suspected suspect-ed of halter pulling. Likewise a rope tied from one stall to the other at about the height of the quarters, or the use of what Is known as the body rope, may indicate this defect. Cribbing and Wind Sucking. Horses that suck wind through the mouth, accompanied by a grunting sound, are termed wind suckers. Crib-bers Crib-bers press their teeth on some object, such as the manger, while sucking In 1 air, consequently the characteristic wear on the teeth may indicate this rice, as does also a broad strap buckled snugly around the neck at the throat latch. Horses with these habits hab-its fill their stomachs and intestines with air, giving a bloated appearance to the abdomen. They are hard .to keep in good condition and are somewhat some-what subject to colic. Kicking. Heavy chains suspended from the ceiling and hanging close to a torse's hind legs, the use of chain bobbles, scars on the hind legs and shoe prints on the partitions are evidences evi-dences of stall kicking. Have the horse led out of the stable, so that he may be inspected in a good light and on a level and solid footing. Normal health Is indicated by an alert, graceful carriage, rich, lustrous coat, good condition as to flesh. If backed out of a single stall, look close-tffor close-tffor extreme flexion of the hind legs, mown as stringhalt, which is dis- cussed later. Take a general survey of the horse from the front, rear and both sides, so as to determine whether he is or is not built on the lines suitable suit-able to do the work for which he is wanted. Temperament. The temperament of a horse furnishes evidence concerning his disposition and his nerve force. For Instance, the nervous, excitable animal (lacking a strong nervous system) sys-tem) is hard to control under many circumstances, while the sluggish, phlegmatic horse, though docile, lacks ambition and endurance. Desirable temperament Is Indicated by large, mild, bright eyes; width between the eyes and behind the ears; forehead neither too concave nor too convex; willing obedience to commands and an alert, active, graceful carriage when in motion. Temperament and disposition disposi-tion are influenced to some degree by training and handling, so that It is well to keep these factors In mind when testing the horse at work. Quality. Quality denotes fine texture tex-ture In all that goes to make up a horse. It Is not possible to examine all the parts, but those exposed to view will give a good idea of the others, since in animals there is analogy between be-tween the various parts. The exter nal indications of quality In the horse are dense, flintlike bone, covered with fine, snugly fitting skin, and short soft hair, the two latter to be of this character char-acter over the entire body. Quality also finds expression in thoroughly defined de-fined lines between the various regions, re-gions, in cleancut features, and In a general refinement of tissue and breed-Iness breed-Iness throughout. Color. Horses with any of the dark solid colors, such as bay, brown, chestnut chest-nut and black, are serviceable and sell readily. Dark grays are in demand for draft, show and hunting purposes, but for other uses they are generally slow sellers, because they turn white with age. PInk-sklnned whites, duns, mouse colors and spotted colors sell at a discount dis-count except for uses where, unusual or gaudy colors are wanted. Grays have the reputation of standing the effect of the hot sun unusually well, whereas dark browns and blacks often sunburn readily. White marks on the legs and face are desirable for show purposes, since they give a horse a flashy appearance. |