8 THE HORSE. 



Other parts of the body. The lymphatic is indicated by 

 large abdominal viscera, and a pecuHar disposition to 

 lay on a quantity of fat. The flesh is soft, and the 

 animal is languid, indolent, and sluggish in all its 

 actions. 



These, then, are the leading peculiarities of the four 

 temperaments. They will be found in very different 

 degrees of development in the different breeds of horses, 

 and also in different horses of the same breed. The 

 relative proportion in which they exist will have a 

 marked effect upon the peculiar fitness of the animal to 

 the purpose for which he is designed. Any person who 

 takes the trouble of reflecting will easily see the cor- 

 rectness of this obsei*vation ; and he will also be able 

 to judge Avhich of the temperaments should predomi- 

 nate in an animal intended for any specific purpose. 

 They should all exist, more or less, in the same animal ; 

 but the exact balance in which they may be found is a 

 matter of oveii\^helming importance. For example, 

 activity, speed, and durability, are essentially connected 

 with the nei'vous, bilious, and sanguine temperaments ; 

 and therefore these temperaments are indispensable in 

 the racer, hunter, and roadster. If the nervous predo- 

 minates, he might possess great speed, but he will be 

 fit only for short distances ; whereas, if the bihous oc- 

 cupies the chief place, his peculiar forte will be distance, 

 or bottom. On the other hand, the lymphatic, bilious, 

 and sanguine are more particularly adapted to horses 



