OCR Text |
Show lipACE HEAD AND SHOULDERS OF A HORSE The bend of a horse should be small, ! Li and clean cut. It should not ' either too concave (dished) or ' "nrex (bulglug) between the eyesvthe i c er suggesting a timid disposition, 1 L Mtter strong will power. Com-I Com-I re the sides of the face and note nuy Similarity which may be due to dls- 0 ' Tlie Sije view of the head should tow a comparatively straight line 1 the poll to the nose. Extremely heavv Jaws are Lot desirable, espeeial-. espeeial-. T Indorses of the lighter classes. ' mouth. The mouth should be examined exam-ined for unsound or abnormal teeth, in die condition known as parrot mouth the front upper teeth overlap those below, while in reverse parrot mouth the lower front teeth overlap those above. If either condition is present the horse Is not able to bite oft food; and while he may eat bay and grain by getting them Into his mouth with his lips, he would starve on short pasture. Tongues held outside out-side the mouth are unsightly. Muzzle. The nostrils should be large, clear, and pliable, with the inside in-side rose colored at rest'and deep red during exercise. Nostrils constantly distended and hard should lead one to suspect heaves, a disease which is discussed dis-cussed later. Note whether the nose is deformed or crooked conditions which mar the horse's looks. If the under lip is not held firmly against the upper it may be due to a lack of vigor. Frequent application of a de- l i vY v Poll Evil. rice known as a twitch leaves scars around the upper lip. This would lead one to suspect that the horse has some had habit, such as being difficult to ' shoe. Face. Look for blemishes from operations op-erations such as on bad teth or nasal tumors, disease which may cause trouble trou-ble after apparently being cured. Eyes. Before beginning an examination exami-nation of the eyes be sure that these important and often unnoticeably detective de-tective organs are turned toward a good light Large, full, well-placed eyes, preferably of a chestnut hue with a sparkle and mild expression, are beautiful In appearance and are the least subject to disease. Small, sunken sunk-en eyes are often weak and may accompany ac-company a sluggish temperament Lacerations Lac-erations on the eyelids are more or less unsightly and give evidence of a previous injury which may have left tie eye weak, especially if the eye heds tears frequently. To test the fight make a quick motion of the hand way from each eye and see If the Ms are closed to protect the eyeball. In doing this it is necessary to be careful not to cause a current of air to strike the eye, since a blind horse "ay close the eyelid from such a cause 'one. If still doubtful about the sight Have the animal led over obstacles over whlch a blind horse would stumble, m which case a horse with good sight carefully raise and plant his feet r them. A more detailed test con-a8 con-a8 of taking the horse from darkness dark-ness to light and vice versa, and see- Injr that the pupils dilute and contract alike. Hollows over the eves denote old age or a lack of vitality. Unscrupulous Un-scrupulous dealers have sometimes Inflated In-flated those hollows with air, but this can readily be detected by pressing with tlie fingers, which forces the air Into the adjacent cavities, leaving the natural bollowness. Ears. Horses are not often troubled with deafness, still it is advisable to test the hearing by noting responses to the voice. The ears should be placed fairly close together at the highest point of the poll and should usually be carried forward. To add to the appearance they should be oi delicate texture, taper to graceful points, and be covered with fine hair. Lopped ears are very unsightly and many tricks are used to cover up such defects, such as tying together with fine thread the ear nets which the horse may be wearing, or the ears themselves may be tied together, the hairs of the foretop hiding the thread. Slight operations are also performed with the object of remedying this defect. de-fect. Poll. The poll should be examined for signs of poll evil, a disease caused by bruising the top of the head. Inflammation In-flammation in "this region, usually accompanied ac-companied by discharge of pus, would lead one to suspect this disease, which Is often slow to yield to treatment and which may break out again after it Is thought to be cured. It often leaves ugly scars after healing. Neck. A clean-cut throat latch on a crested neck of good length gives a horse style and beauty of outline and consequently enhances his value. In mature stnllions the development of a full crest is an Indication of masculinity. mascu-linity. Evidences of, bleeding, Indicating Indi-cating previous bad health, should be looked for in the jugular vein, and it is also advisable to lay back the mane and look for scars. The neck should join the shoulders smoothly. Shoulders. Short shoulders do not generally indicate sufficient room for a large heart and for lungs capable of handling a maximum quantity of air. Straight shoulders favor a low, short, stubby action of the front feet. A low carriage of the head, with, a heavy irresponsive ir-responsive mouth are' often associated with a long back and a corresnondlnnlv short underline, whereas the opposite proportions, namely, a short back and a long underline, are desirable. The concussions or Jars on the front legs resulting from their striking the ground are considerably relieved by sloping shoulders, by not having this effect, tend to promote early unsoundness unsound-ness of these limbs. Strong constitution, constitu-tion, endurance, good front action, and style are associated with deep, well-developed shoulders. For draft purposes the shoulders should have pronounced offsets, so that the face of the collar will have plenty of bearing surface. The position of the collar on such a shoulder Is not materially changed, no matter how hard the pull. Examine the withers for fistula, a disease similar to poll evil, except that it Is differently located. . Fistula is thought to result from bruising the withers, the resulting Inflammation and pus being slow to yield to treatment, treat-ment, so that cases are often of very long standing. The disease sometimes appears to be of very minor Importance, Impor-tance, but the illustration shows the large amount of tissue that may become be-come involved. Fistula should not be confused with collar sores, which are often found on the top of the neck just in front of the withers. Collar sores also often occur on the sides of the neck. When not of too long standing they heal readily, if on properly formed shoulders. Calloused-thlckened spots resulting from old collar sore again unless the collar can be kept from pressing on them. In so-called sweenied shoulders, the muscles have atrophied or shrunken, and horses with such defects are practically valueless for work, for the time being, at least. |