THE CHEST. 163 



CHAPTER X. 

 THE CHEST AND ITS CONTENTS— THE HEART AND THE LUNGS. 



^ CUT OF THE CHEST. 



oh 



A The first rib. 



h Dartilag-es of the eleven hindermost or falst ribs, connected together, uniting with 



that of the seventh or last true, rib. 

 c The breast-bone. 

 d The top or point of the withers, which are formed by the lengthened spinous or upright 



processes of the ten or eleven first bones of the back. The bones of the back are 



eighteen in number, 

 e The ribs, usually eighteen on each side ; the seven first united to the breast-bone by 



cartilage ; the cartilages of the remaining eleven united to each other, as at h. 

 J That portion of the spine where the loins commence, and composed of five bones. 

 g The bones forming the hip or haunch, and into the hole at the bottom of which tha 



head of the thigh-bone is received. 

 \ The portion of the spine belonging to the haunch, and consisting of five pieces. 

 The bones of the tail, usually thirteen in number. 



The form of the chest is of the greatest importance. It contains the 

 heart and the lungs : — the one employed in circulating the blood, and the 

 other in restoring to it the power of supporting life ; and on the size and the 

 soundness of these organs, the health and the strength of the animal princi- 

 pally depend. The speed and wind of the horse are most intimately con- 

 nected with the size of the lungs. In proportion to the quantity of air 

 which they contain, and the less frequent necessity of renewing that air by 

 the act of breathing, will the animal be at his ease, or distressed, when 

 violent exertion is demanded of him. Therefore, one of the first things 

 which the judge of the horse examines, is the capacity of the chest ; and 

 if he finds considerable depth in the girth, and roundness behind the point 

 of the elbow — the horse carrying, what is called a good barrel — he is satis- 

 fied as to the capacity of the chest. The form of the chest has as much to 

 do with the value of the horse as its capacity. An ox may have a chest 

 rounded before as well as behind, and then there will be room enough for 

 the heart to circulate, and the lungs to purify sufficient blood to clothe him 

 with all the muscle and fat he was intended to yield : we require from him 

 no speed, and, therefore, his legs will not fail him, should too much weight 

 be thrown on them, nor will he be disposed to stumble and fall. One prin- 

 cipal quality of the horse, however, is his speed ; and if undue weight be 

 thrown before, his legs and feet will be battered, and injured, and worn out 

 by the unavoidable concussion to which they will be exposed in the trot or 

 the gallop ; and likewise the centre or bulk of his weight will be too easily 

 thrown beyond the natural situation of his feet, and as a matter of course 

 he will be rendered exceedingly unsafe. Therefore, for the light carriage 



