case. Good horses have a higher value than ever, and as the demand for cheap or poorly bred horses diminishes, the better bred ones survive, and what is lost in number is more than balanced in breed and consequent value. (See Breeds and Breeding.) The principal breeds of racing horses are the Bashaws, Clays, Black Hawks, Hambletonians, Mambrino Chiefs, Pilots, American Stars and Blue Bulls. (See Trotting and Pacer.) The most prominent types of the pony include the Shetland, Galloway, Welsh, Dartmoor, Exmoor, and Canadian breeds. (See Pony.) See also the articles Ass; Mule; Shire Horse; Percheron Horse, etc.
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Head—1. muzzle; 2, nostril; 3. forehoad; 4, jaw; 5, poll. Neck—6, 6, crest; 7, throttle or windpipe. Fore Quarter—8, 8, shoulder-blade; 9, point of shoulder; 10, bosom or breast; 11, true arm; 12, elbow; 13, fore-arm (arm); 14, knee; 15. cannon-bone; 16, back sinew; 17, fetlock or pastern joint; 18, coronet; 19, hoof or foot; 20, heel. Body or Middle Pieces— 21, withers; 22, back; 23, 23, ribs (together forming the barrel or chest); 24, 24, circumference of chest—called the girth; 25, the loins; 26, the croup; 27, the hip; 28, the flank; 29, the sheath; 30, the root of the dock or tail. Hind Quarter—31. hip-joint or whirl-bone; 32, stifle-joint; 33, lower-thigh or gaskin; 34, the quarters; 35, the hock; 36, point of the hock; 37, the curb place; 38, the cannon-bone; 39, the back sinew; 40, pastern or fetlock joint; 41, coronet; 42, foot or hoof; 43, heel; 44, spavin-place. |
The hackney is bred chiefly for carriage purposes, and is a type indigenous to the eastern counties of England. It is of excellent symmetry of proportion, and is capable of a very true rhythm in action; although it is slower and heavier than the roadster, it is faster and much lighter than the middle-weight draught-horse. A well-bred hackney should be properly balanced in fore and hind quarters and middle piece. Since 1890 there have been large importations of this breed to America, although the hackney has been known here by occasional single importations since 1822. It has been especially valuable in the breeding and development of the American trotter. The cob is a native of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, in England, and is a stoutly built, short-legged animal of from 13.3 to 14.3 hands high. It is smaller than the hack and larger than the pony. The Galloway is a horse common to Wales and North Britain. It seldom ranges above 14 or 14½ hands in height, and is not a particularly valuable animal. Specimens below 13 hands are called ponies. The hunter is not required to be a thoroughbred animal, although where the hunting warrants it he is frequently thoroughbred, or half-bred at least. He is chosen to suit the country over which he is hunted, as well as to carry the weight of his rider. In any case he should have the following characteristics: A lean head and neck, firmly set on good oblique shoulders; a strong back and loin, deep body, wide hips, good quarters, and firm legs and feet. Among horsemen the following terms are in use: A stallion is a male horse, and when gelded is termed a gelding. A mare is the female. Animals of both sexes when young are termed foals; the male foal is a colt, and the female a filly. Young animals become ‘of age’ when the outer incisors (corner nippers) are developed. A horse is ‘aged’ when in its eighth or ninth year, a fact determined by the front teeth. The period of gestation is eleven months, the foal usually being dropped in the spring.
Exterior Parts of the Horse. Many excellent works on the anatomy of the horse are published, several of which will be found included in the bibliography of this article. Below will be found described the more important external parts, together with their position and boundaries. The Head.—The point of demarkation between the head and the neck may be described as follows: Observing the animal in profile, the head is divided from the neck by an imaginary line drawn from the back of the ear, along the rear edge of the lower jaw to its angle. The upper part of the face is called the forehead, and the forelock is a tuft of hair which, although a part of the mane, lies between the ears. The temples lie on each side of the forehead, between the ear and the eye; the nose is a continuation of the forehead, ending opposite the nostrils. The lower end of the head is called the muzzle; it includes the nostrils, lips, and the bones and teeth covered by them. The bars of the mouth are those portions of the gums of the lower jaw situated between the back teeth and the tushes (or the place usually occupied by the tushes). Just under the bars of the mouth is the chin-groove, in which rests the curb chain of the curb bit, when such is used. The neck lies between the head and the shoulders, from which latter it is separated by an imaginary line drawn from
