POINTS OF A CLYDESDALE DRAUGHT HORSE.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 2203, 11 July 1910, Page 7

POINTS OF A CLYDESDALE DRAUGHT HORSE.

P. R. GORDON. Seen# old friend* whom I met at the last Brisbane exhibition —knowing that I took an interest in point judging—urged me to contribute an article on the subject, so that they could be preserved as permanent records. I have selected for this paper the Clydesdale heavy draught horse. The diagram is copied from a paper on the subject by my life-long friend the late Mr. Alexander Bruce, of Sydney, whose advocacy of the system is familiar to stock-breeders, not only in Australia, but also in Great Britain and America. I may explain that the values of the different points given are merely suggestive ; different breeders’ associations may assess the values differently. A matter of greater importance is the proper apportioning of the points so as to ensure’ that judges and breeders shall not overlook any one point, and the system must prove an education to young breeders and agricultural students. For greater facility in closely criticising a horse the points are grouped. The first three groups, comprising numbers 1 to 7 inclusive, cannot be shown by diagram. Group I. relates to pedigree, and the points allotted number 16, namely 1. “Pedigree.”—To be viewed in the light of the standing of the horse in the stud-book. 8 points. 2. “Offspring.”— According to records of prizes, gained by the progeny. 8 points. Group ll.—General Character, style and action, 10 points, namely : 3. "General Character” means beauty of outline and form (in rest) as seen at a glance, and when combined with point indicates high breading. 5 points. 4. “Style and Carriage.”—The natural and unrestrained carriage of the head, neck, and tail, and the movement of the limbs a« presented in a state of animation, which, with the preceding point, indicate purity of blood. 5 points. 5. "Action.” —This will embrace the action and use (the bending of the knee and hock) of the limbs at the walk and slow trot, in which the difference between a dragging motion and the quick tappy lifting of the feet will be considered. In the trot the action will be free and quick, and in the walk the step should be long, the sole of the foot being almost inverted each time it is lifted. 4 .points. Group 111. —Colour and size, 6 points, namely 6. “Colour.” —According to public taste, the leading colours may be classed according to their estimation as follows :—Bay, dark chestnuts, brown, black, roan, grey ; white markings beyond a star are more or less objectionable according to extent, 2 points. 7. “Size." —Height : Stallions, IG£ hands ; mares, 16 hands. 4 points. GROUP IV.—Head, 10 points, namely : 8. '“Ear,” should be active, thin, and generous in length, neither hanging down nor prick-eared. The action of the ear with the eye discloses character. 2 points. 9. “Face.”—The head as a whole should be in proportion to the size of the horse. It should be broad between the eyes, with prominent brain development, clean and bony, not loaded with flesh. 2 points.

10. “Eye and Expression.”—This organ and the ear show character and not only the fulness of the eye, but its character must be studied. It should be dark, bright, mild, lively, and truthful, but indicative of plenty of muscular energy. 3 points. 11. “The Jaws.”—The jaws should be wide apart to give ample room for the windpipe. 1 point. 12. “The Lips” should be neat and compressed, and not open or hanging down. 1 point.' 13. “The Nose and Nostril.”—The nose should be straight, or very slightly arched (not dished), and the nostril should be wide, high, and active. 1 point. Group V. —Forequarter, K points, namely : 14. “The Neck." —This point will include the (jetting on the head, the length and shape of the neck, the free development of the windpipe, especially at the throttle and the junction of the neck with the shoulders and breast. It should be somewhat thick, long, and slightly arched in the stallion, and very slightly in the mare when she 1b 1b good condition. 4 points. 15. “The Breast” should be sufficiently full and deep to give ample room for the heart and lungs. 2 points. 16. “The Withers” should be rather high to give free action, and should be muscular and sloping (but not so much as in the hackney) evenly into the shoulder. 1 point. 17. “The Shoulders” should be strong and muscular, fairly well laid back, and should rise with a clean and even slope towards the withers. 3 points. 18. “The Foreribs” should be round (hooped), deep, full. There must be ample room for the heart to beat and lungs to play. Deficient in this, the sire’s stock will lack vigour of cobstitution and pluck. 2 points. 19. ’’’Chest” should be deep and well developed, and should run evenly into the shoulder, not chest-tied, 2 points. Group Vl.—The Middle, 10 points,

nameiy 20. “The Back” should be comparatively straight and broad, and not so long as to entail weakness and it should run full and wide into the loin. 3 points. 21. "'Backribs” should spring roundly in an arch from the backbone, and run well back toward the hind quarters, i.e., well-ribbed home, and the last ribs should be round and well let down. 2 points. 22. “The Belly” should be fairly let down, but not be pot-bellied, nor too much tucked up, and with sufficient room for food. 1 point. 23. “The Loin" should be full, long, level, and broad, extending along the back to give strength to the horse. 2 points. 24. “The Flank” should be clean, neat, and fairly developed. 1 point. 25. “The Sheath” should be well developed. 1 point. , Group VII.— I The hindquarter, 8 points, namely : 26. “The Hips.”—The hip bones should be well apart, not protruding, but symmetrical. 2 points. 27. “The Quarter” should be broad and strong, the styfles well apart and wide when viewed from behind, with well-turned buttocks. 2 points. 28. '“The Croup” should be long, and comparatively level, but with a proper elevation, gracefully sloping towards the tail. 2 points. 29. “Tail and Set-on.”—The tail should lep,ve the croup, and be carried handsomely at the proper height with free, soft but strong hair. 2 points. Group Vlll.—Legs, &c., 26 points, namely : 30. '“Forearm” should be broad, muscular, and well developed. 5 points. 1 31. “The Knee” should be comparatively large, strong, and clean, with the different members clearly defined. 1 point. 32. “The Thigh’,' shenld be bread, well developed, and muscular. 2 points. 83. '“The Hook” should be broad in front, strong and clean, with its ferent members clearly articulated, it should be nearly straight to the ground, but not too straight ; the hock when too straight is liable to thoroughpin. 2 points. 34. “The Lege.”—The lorelegs should be short, straight (not ealfkneed 1 ), wide set, well forward (not heavy in the shoulder), and properly proportioned. 3 points. 35. “The Bone” should be comparatively short, stout, but flat and clean (not knotty), broad under the knee and hock, not knee-tied. 1 point. 36. “The Muscle” should be clean, clear of the bone, well defined, and sinewy. 2 points. 37. “Feathering.”—Long hair on the back parts of the legs should be neither deficient nor too abundant as spreading round in front ; where fine, long, and silky, it is, with a fine skin, indicative of good breeding. 3 points. 38. “The Pasterns” should be rather stout and short, with well developed muscles, and set straight and at the proper angle. 1 point. 39. “The Feet” should be fair sized rather large, well shaped, neither too open nor too close at the heels — giving evidence of strength and freeddm from internal trouble, and they should be straight and fair, neither turned in nor out at the toes ; but better a little in than out. White feet are objectionable, though com- ! mon. 6 points. To recapitulate, the various groups will aggregate as under : Pedigree and offspring ... 16 points. General Character, style and j action ... 10 ~ Colour and size ... ... 6 ~ Head ... 10 „ Forequarter ... ... 14 ~ The Middle ... 10 „ The Hindquarter ... ... 8 ~ Th® Legs ... >.. 26 * Total 100 „