30 THE HORSE. 



ticularly attended to. If in place of being arched 

 above, they come sloping down like the roof of a 

 house, the upper part of the cavity must be greatly 

 narrowed, and the horse is said to be herring-ribbed. 

 This is a gi'eat defect, inasmuch as the form of the 

 ribs near the back-bone will not permit such an eleva- 

 tion as would be sufficient to change the upper region 

 of the cavity of the chest from the elliptical to the 

 circular shape. The extent of motion in this region is 

 exceedingly limited, and consequently the ribs, in their 

 quiescent state, should be very well rounded here. In 

 every horse they should come right out for a consider- 

 able distance from the back-bone, so as to present a 

 broad and flattish surface above. The condition of 

 the parts will be best obsei-ved by looking over the 

 back from behind. 



The part upon which the saddle rests, immediately 

 behind the shoulder-top, should always be examined. 

 It ought to be well filled up, so as to place the saddle 

 in a comfortable position. If there is much of a dip 

 in this locality, the ribs will encroach upon the size of 

 the chest, and the action of the horse will be greatly 

 impeded by the constant shifting of the saddle on the 

 tops of the shoulder-blades. This is a common and 

 exceedingly annoying defect. It can be remedied only 

 by the use of the patent saddle-cloth, or by the anti- 

 quated plan of keeping the saddle in its place, by 

 means of a crupper attached to the poor animal's tail. 



