158 SOLDIER AND SPORTSMAN 



days, but at the time of his performances he was 

 the best up to date. 



The horse with low set-on hocks — i.e. with a long 

 tibia — is analogous to the long, leggy man, the 

 length between the latter's heel and his knee 

 representing that between the stifle and hock of 

 a horse. Long-limbed men have not as a rule 

 the same staying power as shorter-legged men. 

 Whether this comparison between horses and men 

 is of any value or not, the fact remains that some 

 of the most brilliant race-horses have stood with 

 hocks and knees well off the ground. For speed 

 only there is no doubt that such a conformation is 

 good, but from the point of general utility, weight- 

 carrying, etc., the argument is not so easy to prove, 

 as many first-class steeplechase horses and weight- 

 carrying hunters have had knees and hocks low 

 set on. 



Some members of the antelope tribe, more 

 especially the hartebeest, have terrific speed for a 

 short distance. Their hocks and knees are extra- 

 ordinarily high. The speed of the Hartebeest is 

 much greater than that of a greyhound, and the 

 speed of both a greyhound and a horse for a 

 hundred yards is nearly the same — viz. about four 

 and a quarter seconds. 



hi looking over a prospective purchase there are 

 so many essential points to be noted that in making 



