Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-07-20
RAISING DRAFT HORSES
Il Rightly Done Is Probably Profitable an Industry a. any
Line Of Business on the tarm..money Properly
Invested Is Well Spent

10 Ile IIOuL lCS dAO IuSIC 40 6ISdS
danger of a horse becoming knee
;prung early In life with too straight
shoulder.
The arm, the forearm. the knees.
the cannons, the fetlocks and the pas
terms are comparatively minor points
until we reach the feet and legs. Here
twelve points are given for the front
feet and legs. The feet should be
large even sized, straight, dense, dark
color; sole concave. bars strong, frog
large, heel wide and high and one
half length of toe. The legs viewed
IN front, perpendicular line drawn
from the point of the shoulder should
sall upon the center of the knee, can
non, pastern and foot. If this line
'oes not fall upon the center of these
different places there is something
wrong with the front leg OF your
horse. From a side view a perpendic-
ular line dropped from the center OF
the elbow joint should fall upon the
center of the knee and pastern and
down back Of the hoof. Unless this
line falls back Of the hoof, there is
horses leg Now, in breeding to
stallion think any of you. after having
practiced dropping a line with a
weight on 1t from these two points on
the norse's front legs can readily sec
whether or not the horses legs and
feet are properly under him. You do
not want too short pastern, nor
do
tern. With too short pastern, there
is danger Of the horse becoming knee
sprung, getting side-bones, ng-bones,
etc. With too long pastern you
have a weakness. You have weak.
ness which Is hard to correct by
breeding With the long pastern
horses walk too much on their heels.
A horse should step squarely on his
foot. The foot should touch the
ground evenly.
Under the heading of body. consist.
ing OF chest, ribs, back, loin and un.
der-loin. but nine points are given.
one more than for the front feet In
the hind quarters the hips, Group, tail.
thighs, quarters and lower thighs
hooks count eight points. The hook
is the weak place in the hind leg
Blem1shes come about the hook. The
hook should be clean-cut, wide and
Straight. The skin over the hook
Joint should fit as snugly as new
kid glove fits your hand. The hook
should be free from meatiness. Five
points are given for the cannons, fet-
locks and pasterns in the hind leg
while ten points are given for the hind
feet and legs. The description al.
ready given for the front foot will ap-
ply TO the hind foot while the legs
viewed from behind, IL you drop line
| from the point of the buttock Il should
fall. in the center OF The hook. cannon,
pastern and foot. And from q side
view a perpendicular line drawn from
the center m the hip joint Il should
fall in the center of the foot and d.
vide the gaskin in the middle A per.
pendicular line drawn from the point
Of the buttock should run parallel
with the line of the cannon.
A draft horse should be a good
walker He should walk straight, his
walk should be balanced. He should
| pick up his feet quick and set them
down quick. For this, six points are
given. The trot should be straight
and rapid. For this four points are
given. II must be RENE mbered that
the power of the draft horse is In the
hind quarters. Too many of our draft
stations are too long-coupled When
breeding from stallion of any mall
conformation you must expect to get
the same defects in his colts. They
might not be born with the defect.
but the condition that will bring about
the defect is born in them.
Too many people look to the big
points and do not consider the small
ones. If people will take proper care
Of the breeding of their horses a good
many blemishes will be avoided. Some
people do not go to the expense OF
taking the shoes eff in time but allow
the toes to grow long. which causes
a strain on the mechanism of the foot
and leg. The result is that some
blenish appears. I would prefer to
breed to stallion weighing 1900
pounds that was properly put together
than to one that weighed 1920 pounds
+haf v.as NOT 1rGnorly formal