U8 VARIETIES OF THE HORSE 



The back should be neither long, weak, nor dipped, l)ut there must at 

 the same time be plenty of room to carry the saddle and leave a reason- 

 able amount of space behind. The Hack should be well ribbed up, and 

 possess nice long straight quarters, as, if the latter are short or slope, they 

 are a great eyesore to judges; a weak quarter is a very serious defect. 



The hind-legs should be nicely bent at the stifles with a good length 

 of bone down to the hocks, and short thence to the ground, the pasterns, 

 though not so long and sloping as those of the fore-legs, being lengthy 

 enough to ensure elasticity of action, whilst the feet must, of course, be 

 sound and healthy. The tail is set on rather high, and is not usually 

 docked short in a Hack, but neatly squared. The hocks should be large, 

 free from all blemish, and so placed that they are neither so close together 

 nor so wide apart as to prove a source of weakness to the horse, which 

 they will if either of these defects is present. 



The action of the Park Hack should be free, well-timed, and elastic, 

 his principal paces being the walk and the canter; he is rarely required 

 either to trot or gallop, and any approach to a high fighting style of going 

 is very strongly to be deprecated. A horse which creeps along, as it were, 

 over the ground with a smooth easy canter will always command attention, 

 whilst a fast level walker is almost always as much admired. It is re- 

 markable to notice how often the walking action of a Hack is neglected 

 by judges and purchasers of this class of horse; but the discomfort and 

 danger of ridino; an animal which is an awkward walker are both so 

 apparent, that in selecting a Saddle horse his style of going at this gait 

 should be closely studied. The important subject of manners may also 

 be regarded as including action within its scope, for no horse which does 

 not move smoothly and answer its bit and its rider's knee, can ever be 

 expected to possess the perfect manners which are so inseparably asso- 

 ciated with the true type of riding horse. 



The great points, therefore, to be sought for in a Hack are manners, 

 which includes mouth and freedom from vice; action, which is invariably 

 associated with good shoulders and limbs; and elegance of form, in other 

 words, quality — a trio of properties which it is not easy to combine in any 

 one animal; and hence the great value of a perfect Saddle horse. 



How to produce this much-sought-after class of animal is a subject 

 which causes breeders a great deal of anxious thought, but it is the 

 prevailing belief, founded upon experience, that as a rule the beau ideal 

 Park Hack should possess a great deal of Thoroughbred in his composition, 

 even if he is not perfectly clean -bred himself The possession of this 

 blood will almost certainly ensure a fine neat head, and the right sort 

 of shoulder, though in the latter point Thoroughbreds differ like every 



