ON THE EXTERNAL CONFORMATION. 15 

 case the position can never be firm and steady, 

 because the pressure will be partial on either the 

 inward or outward quarter of the foot. If the 

 leg is not perfectly straight from the shoulder to 

 the foot {vide plate S.fig. 1) its action cannot be 

 true, nor the center of gravity so readily found, 

 as by one that is even and uniform in all its 

 parts [fig. 2). If the elbow inclines inwards 

 close to the ribs [fig. 1, A A) the leg must be 

 thrown sideways when in action, which will re- 

 move the foot too far from the center of gravity, 

 and produce a lateral rolling motion very un- 

 pleasant to the rider. Again, if the legs incline 

 too much under the body, they will be over- 

 loaded, and the freedom of their action will be 

 reduced in proportion as they are oppressed. 



The fore legs, to be perfect, should, in a 

 front view, be widest at the chest, gradually ap- 

 proaching each other downwards towards the 

 foot, and descending in a perpendicular direction 

 to the ground, as exemplified in plate ^, fig- '^' 



The 



