The American horse was for two hundred years the sole means of travel. and the great essential to all business in and between the various colo nies of the country. Improved roads have made him a driving horse, and none of the inventions of modern times, from the introduction of rail roads to bicycles and horseless vehicles generally, has affected his popularity or his value. To the superficial observer it would appear as if im proved means of vehicular transport would di minish the breeding of horses, as well as decrease their value, but thus far such has not been the ease. flood 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 lust in number is Inure than bal anced in breed and consequent value. (See Bar:Ens AND MMA:DING.1 The principal breed, of racing horses are the Itashaws, Clnys, Black Ilawks, Ilambletonians. Manibrino Chiefs, Pilots. American Stars and Blue Bulls. (See TROTTING nut PACER.) The unit prominent types of the pony include the slict land. talloway, Welsh, Dartmoor. Exmoor. and Canadian breeds. (See roxv.) See also the \ ss: SHIRE NORSE: Pt:RCM:RON lloasE. etc.
The Lae kney is bred chiefly for carriage pur poses. and is a tlie indigenous to the eastern counties of England. It is of excellent sym metry 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 tvell-bred hackney should be properly balanced In fore and hind quarters and middle piece. Since IslIn there have been large importations of this breed to America. although the hackney has been known here by occasional single importa tions since IS:h1. It has been especially valuable in the breeding and development of the American trotter. The role is a native of Norfolk and Linenlnshire. 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 corn mon to Wales and North Britain. It seldom ranges above 14 or hands in height, and is not a particularly valuable animal. :specimens below El hand- ate called ponies. The /inn to- is not required to be n thoroughbred ani mal, although where the hunting warrants it he is frequently thoroughbred, or half-bred at least. Ile is chosen to suit the country over which he is hunted, as well as to carry the weight of his rider. In any ease he should have the fol. lowing characteristics: A Ican head and neek, firmly set on good oblique shoulders; a strong back and loin. deep body, aide hips, good quar ters, and firm legs and feet. Among horsemen I Ile following terms a re in use: A stallion is a male horse, and when gelded is termed a geld ing. A mare is the fe male. Animals of both when young are termed foals; the male foal is a col, and the female a filly. Young animals become 'of age' when the outer incisors (corner nippers) are de veloped. A horse is 'aged' N‘lien in its eighth or ninth year, a fact deter mined by the front teeth. The period of gestation is eleven months. the foal usually being dropped in the spring.
ExTEnton PARTS OF THE HORSE. 3.1any excellent works on the anatomy of the horse are published, several of which will he found included in the 'bibliography of this ar ticle. Below will be found described the more int portant external parts, to••ether with their t ion and boundaries. The Prod.—The point of markation between the head and the neck may he described as follows: Observing the animal in profile, the bead is vided 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 \Odell. although a part. of the mane, lies between the ears. The temples lie on each side of the forcheall• between the ear and the eye: the nose is a continuation of the forehead, ending opposite the nostrils. The lower end of the Itad 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 tu6hes). Just under the bars of the mouth is the 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 the dip in front of the withers to the depression caused by the union of the neck and breast. On the top of the neck, and immediately behind the ears, is the poll; and extending from the withers to the ears, along the upper part of the neck, is the crest. The groove on each side of the neck just above the windpipe is known as the jugular groove. The chest is divided from the belly or abdomen by the diaphragm, and includes the cavity in which are situated the lungs and heart, and which occupies nearly the front third of the trunk. The term breast is frequently used to describe the part herein treated under chest. The upper boundary of the shoulders is formed by the withers. and the rear border may be taken from behind the 'swell' of the muscle, situated just below the withers to the elbow. A little below the junction of the neck and shoulder, on each side of the chest, is a prominent bony angle, known as the point of the shoulder. The withers are the bony ridges which constitute the forward continuation of the back and end abrupt ly in the crest. The elbow is the bony projection at the upper posterior part of the forearm, which latter is found between the shoulder and the knee. The upper boundary of the knee may be decided by a line drawn at right angles to the direction of the leg above the knee-joint, and the lower boundary by a line joining the point where the line of the cannon-bone meets that of the knee, with that where the line of the back tendon is ter minated by the trapezium, at the back of the knee. The cannon-bone is situated between the knee and the fetlock. At its back are two small bones, known as the outside and inside splint-bones. The cannon is the very confusing name applied to that part of the leg situated between the knee and the fetlock (i.e. footlock, a tuft of hair growing behind the fetlock joint). The joint which the cannon-bone makes with the pastern is called the fetlock joint. Between the fetlock and the hoof is a short column of bones called the pastern, the lower portion of which, called the coronet, is im mrdiately above the hoof. The hoof is a horny box inelosing the lower part of the limb. The lowest front part of '..he hoof is the toe; the sides are quarters: and the lowest rear part the heels. The exterior or outer part of the hoof is termed the wall, which in turn is divided into an outer covering or crust, and a soft inner layer of non-fibrous horn. In the centre of the ground surface of the hoof is a triangular buffer called the free, in the middle of which is a division termed the cleft of the frog; turned inward at the heels, and running more or less parallel to the sides of the frog, are the portions of the wall called the bars of the hoof. The ground surface of the foot between the wall, bars, and frog. is called the sole. The back includes the withers, hut not the loins; which parts, together with the ribs on each side, constitute the boundaries of what may properly be termed the back. It has been described as an ill-defined region. owing to the many different opinions on the subject. The loins are found between the back and croup, with the flanks on each side. The ribs lie be tween the shoulders, flanks, belly, and brisket or sternum. The flank is that part of the horse's side between the loins, ribs, thigh and hip-joint, and the belly. The hollow of the flank is the upper portion of the flank. The belly is the cavity which contains the stomach. liver. spleen, intestines, kidneys, bladder, etc. The brisket is the lower part of the chest. The croup is that portion of the upper part of the body placed be tween the loins and the tail. Broadly stated, it extends down on each side to the point of the buttock. The thigh has been eleverly defined as separated from the stifle, flank, croup, buttock, and gaskin by a horizontal line drawn from the upper end of a straight line made by the ham string, which proceeds toward the thigh from the point of the back. While not anatomically correct, it is the general acceptation of the term. The gaskin lies between the thigh and the hack, which latter is found between the gaskin and the hind cannon-bone. The dock is the solid part of the tail.