122 LISKI 



mark of a cross with Shire, Clydesdale or other heavy draught 

 blood, and which is evidence of inability to stand work under 

 the saddle. These Russian remounts have as a rule short 

 backs, muscular loins, good feet, fairly small heads, and are 

 well ribbed up. They are particularly good across the loins, 

 which is a point that receives much attention from Russian 

 breeders. Formerly the horses of the Don, from which 

 country the best remounts are obtained, were generally 

 " back at the knees " (" calf-kneed "), but this defect has been 

 almost entirely eliminated by careful crossing. The members 

 of the selection committees which pass or reject the animals 

 brought up by the remonteurs, are specially critical as re- 

 gards the quality of the pasterns, as we may learn by the 

 frequency with which they employ the word, babkee (pasterns), 

 in the remarks they make on the young ones paraded for 

 their inspection. On the whole, they have very good fore 

 legs. Their shoulders are inclined to be short ; but their 

 worst point is undoubtedly their hocks, which in many 

 instances are weak, too much bent (" sickle - hocked "), or 

 inclined to curb. I have treated the subject of hocks so 

 fully in Points of the Horse, that I need not further allude to 

 it here. English and Irish breeders have been so long alive 

 to the necessity of good hocks in a cross country horse, 

 that in this respect no horses can be compared to our well- 

 bred hunters. I feel certain that if the question of hocks was 

 better understood in Russia, effective means would be taken 

 to remedy the defect to which I have alluded. 



These remounts, especially those which come from the 

 country of the Don, have a strong infusion of Arab blood 

 (Fig. 28), with a dash of the thoroughbred. They are 

 essentially saddle horses bred for cavalry purposes, as may be 

 inferred from the fact that over seven thousand of them are 

 yearly selected for the dragoon regiments. The number of 

 horses required by the English cavalry on home service is so 



