The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-12-06
THE PERFECT SADDLE HORSE.

It is not easy to describe the perfect
high-bred saddle horse so that he will
be recognized at sight by the INITIATED,
and the initiated need no such descrip-
ton. His characteristics may be thus
sketched. He should have, first of all,
large, sound, open-heeled feet, with the
frog we'll defined, the pasterns neither
so long as to be weak, nor SO steep as
to give any unyielding action, rather
of medium length and sloping back
ward a little more than the front line
Of the hoof; the legs, between the pas
tern joints and the knees and hooks,
cannot be too short, and the back ten
d0ns should be SO large and full as to
give them the appearance Of width and
fairness. The knees cannot be too
large and full, nor can the hooks be
too large and bony The forearm,
from the knee to the point OF the
shoulder and the hind legs from the
hook to the stihe Joint, should be very
long and muscular, and quite free
from fat or fabbishness. The shout
der must be very sloping,-the more
SO the BETTER and oVerlaid with tense
and prominent muscles. The hips
and thighs should be well loaded with
muscle, and if there is to be @ f1eshy
condition at any point let it be there.
Owing to the slope of the shoulder,
and the height of the Withers, and to
the prominence Of the muscles over
the hips, the back should have the ap-
pearance Of extreme shortness, with q
slight but only slight = downward
curve: hardly room to carry a saddle
is the form in which a horseman ey-
presses his highest praise. This is the
preferable form of back, but very many
thoroughbreds are deficient in this re-
spect. Largely as q manner Of beauty
the spine should run back nearly level
with the hips, and the tail should be
carried high, (the Kentucky blood
horse is often very defective here)
the neck should be long and lean, well
arched, but not beefy at the crest, and
Furnished with large, loose hanging
Wind-pipe below, we'll defined even
| when the horse is at rest, The ears
must be quick, small at their setting
on and thin, is no objection tC
their having o good length; the heaC
may be, but is not necessarily, small
but it should be well shaped, and il
must be as bony and as free as possible
from flesh; it should be SO wide anC
clean between the Jaws as to give am
pie space fol, he Windpipe; the nos
trils must be capable Of great disten
sion, to allow free breathing during
eXertion; the skin should be soft, tht
, coat fine and silky, and the hair Of th(
name and tail, although it may bt
; somewhat wavy, should be free from
anything like curliness, and rather
scanty than superabundant. After Sc
we're eXertion, full veins should show
over the whole body. The distensiOI
of these veins, which are generally in
visible in the cold blooded horse, gives
the thoroughbred one Of his creates
, advantages by affording relief to The
pulsation during the strong action 0.
the heart.
The horse above described is quite
: sure to have the deep chest and heart
place which are so important to siren
uous exertion; but many of the best
thoroughbreds are deficient in The
round, barrel-hooped form Of the ribs
which is necessary to the roomiest &C
commodation Of the lungs and the alb
domal yiScera. 4 sound horse having
these qualities and whose sides, back
of the girt, project beyond the line OF
the shoulders and hips, may be relied
upon for the most arduous Work.-Col
| Waring, in Scribner.