Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-11-07

! Its not easy to describe the perfect
highbrcd saddle-horse 30 that he will be
recognized 1t night by the uninitiated,
and the initiated need no such descrip-
ton. His characteristics may be thus
sketched: He should have, first of all
large, sound, open-hesled feet, with the
frog well defined, the pasterns- neither
go long as to be weak, nor 50 steep as
to give anunyielding action, rather Of
medium length and sloping backward a
little more than the front line of the
hoof; the legs, between the ,pastern
joints and the knees and hosks. cannot
be too short, and the back tendons
should be SO large and full IS to give
them the appearance Of width and fat
ness. The knees cannot be too large
and full, nor can the hooks be too large
or bony. The forearm, from the knee
to the Doint OF. the shoulder and
the hind leg from the hook to the stifle
joint, should be very long, and muscular
and quite free from fat or fiabbiness.-
The shoulder must be very sloping,-
the more 80 tho better, and overlaid
with tense and prominent muscles
The hips and thighs should be well
loaded with muscle, and if there is to be
a fleshy condition at any point letit be
here. Owing to tho slope Of the
shoulder, and the height ofthe withers,
and to the prominence Of the muscles
over the hips, the back should have the
appearance,of extreme shortness, with
a slight-but only slight--downward
curve: "hardly room to carry a saddle"
is the form in which the horseman ex-
presses his highest praise. This is the
preferable form Of back, but very many
thoroughbreds are deficient in this re-
spect. Largely as . matter Of beauty
the spine should run back nearly level
from the hips, and the tail should be
carried high 1.-THE Kentucky blood horse
is often very defective here); the neck
should be long and lean, we'll arched,
but not beefy at the crest, and furnished
with large, loose-hangins wind-pipe
below, well defined even when the
horse is at rest The ears must be
quick, small at their setting-on and
thin,-there is no objection to their
having good length the head may be
but is not necessarily, small, but it
should be we'll shaped, and it must be
as bony and as free as possible from
flesh it should be 80 wide and clean
between the jaws as to give ample space
for the windpipe the nostrils must be
capable Of great distension to allow
free breathing during exertion the skin
should be soft, the coat fine and silky,
and the hair Of the name and tail,
although 1t may be somewhat wavy,
should be free from anything like
curliness, and rather scanty than super
abundant IA fse- g.. e -
veins should show over the whole body.
The distension of these veins, which
are generally invisible IN the cold
blooded horse, gives the thoroughbred
one Of bis greatest advantages by afford
ing. relief to the palsation during the
strong action of the heart. The horse
above described is quito sure to have
the deep chest and heart-place which
are 80 Important to strenuous exertion;
but many Of the best thoroughbreds are
deficient in that round, barrel-hooped
form of the ribs which is necessary to
the roomiest accommodation Of the
lungs and the abdominal yiscera. A
sound horse having these qualities and
whose sides, back ofthe girth, project
beyond tho line Of the shoulders and
hips, may be relied upon for the most
arduous work. @ ..t..