CHAPTER I. 



THE FRAMEWORK OF THE HORSE CONSIDERED FRO:VI 

 A MECHANICAL POINT OF VIEW. 



The skeleton of the horse is a very wonderful and 

 beautiful piece of mechanism, which no one who takes 

 an interest in such matters can contemplate without 

 experiencing the pleasurable feeling that perfect har- 

 mony of proportion always inspires. We were about 

 to add, fitness and adaptability to our purposes, but 

 remembered, just in proper time, that this would be, 

 after all, a very incorrect mode of expression ; for, in 

 truth, what is highly desirable is, that we should limit 

 and adapt our requirements to the capabilities of this 

 mechanism, and not simply to our own convenience, 

 which but too frequently leads to abuse, as we shall 

 now proceed to show. 



The horse depicted in Plate I.* is of an average 

 description, and stands in a natural position, its head 

 and neck stretched forwards, and the hind legs, instead 

 of being perfectly perpendicular from the hocks down- 

 wards, slightly brought forward to assist in maintaining 

 the equilibrium. The animal is at rest; there is no- 

 thing constrained in its attitude; but the eye tells us at 

 once that a somewhat greater proportion of its weight 



• Taken from Seeger's * System der Keitkuust.' 



