420 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 



The celebrated race-horse, known by the name of Flying 

 Childers, was the fleetest horse that ever ran, having repeat- 

 edly accomplished nearly a mile in a minute ; and, carrying 

 nine stone two pounds, has been known to perform the 

 course at Newmarket — which is three miles and three hun- 

 dred and sixty yards — in six minutes and forty seconds, or 

 at the rate of eighty-two feet and a half in a second of 

 time. Eclipse was next to him in fame, and nearly his 

 equal in speed, but considerably his superior in conforma- 

 tion, and from whom spring most of the finest horses which 

 this country has produced. 



Long ages of domestication, as well as the variety of 

 climate to Avhich horses have been subjected, has produced 

 the great varieties in size and general conformation in the 

 horse. Every country possesses horses with a peculiarity 

 of character belonging to itself ; and in each country there 

 is great diversity of shape and size. 



SECTION I.— OF BRITISH HORSES. 



THE ENGLISH RACE-HORSE. 



The form of the head, in this horse in particular, is like 

 that of the Arabian. His beautifully arched neck is finely 

 set on, and his shoulders are oblique and lengthened ; his 

 hind legs are well bent, his quarters are ample and muscu- 

 lar, his whole legs are flat, and rather short from the knee 

 downwards, although not always so deep as it ought to be, 

 and his pasterns are long and elastic. 



The thoroughbred horse is by no means a safe one to 

 ride on a road, as he seldom lifts his fore feet high enough 

 to enable him with certainty to clear the inequalities of the 

 road. His action, in consequence, is much more pleasant ; 

 and he possesses another quality of much importance, 



