The management and treatment of the horse in the stable, field, and ...

In the Stable, Field, and on the Road. 235
find its good points will depend upon their adaptation
to the particular kinds of work. The head in all the
breeds should be fine, broad between the eyes, and
tapering towards the nose. The jaws should be clean,
and not possessing too much flesh, the eyes full and
sparkling, clear and lively, the nostrils rather large and
open, and of a clear red colour, the space underneath the
jaws should be roomy and free from any glandular
swelling or lumps, the ears should be well set into the
head and pricked forward, but not large, which is
generally a sign of a soft-hearted horse. The neck should
be well curved, lightly formed rather than muscular, and
considerably arched beneath at its union with the jaws.
The shoulders should be high and sloping, the withers
should be of a medium breadth, and not too high, as it
will be found that high-withered horses are generally
narrow in the chest, which is always a bad point in not
allowing sufficient scope for the lungs to play, and is
never so pleasing to the eye as a broad expanded front.
Still some horses have proved both hardy and good in
point of action with narrow chests, but these have had
depth to compensate for the want of breadth. However,
there is a medium in the chest of a horse ; great width
is generally accompanied with want of action, and such
horses are better used for cart or farm purposes. The
back should be short and somewhat arched across the
loms, the chest deep and the ribs expanding, especially
between the last rib and the hip, so as not to admit of a
hollow between them. This is called well ribbed up ; a
loose-ribbed horse is always unpleasant to the eye if it is
not a physical defect ; no feeding will fill up a horse in