CONFOEMATION. 429 



Conformation in good truth requires to be studied and learnt in the 

 same way as any other item of knowledge. Some may learn it quickly, 

 some slowly, but all may learn. 



The drawing of the skeleton is reduced from a large print by Professor 

 Varnell, late of the Royal Veterinary College. (Plate 39.) 



879. Idea of a good-shaped Horse. 



A good horse is an animal with many good, few indifferent, and no 

 bad points. Any one radically bad point neutralizes any number of 

 good points. As in a chain any one really defective link will destroy its 

 power of holding, so in a horse any one radically bad point will render 

 useless the aptitude and compactness of the conformation in other 

 respects. The greatest strength of a chain is limited by its weakest link. 

 Similarly in a horse, his strength is limited by his weakest point. 



But this is not all. In addition to the absence of weak links, in the 

 horse it is needed that all the links should be of proportionate strength. 

 Though in a chain it would not signifiy much if one link were stronger 

 or heavier than the rest; yet in the horse, whose primary value is his 

 power of locomotion, in whom every limb or part has to be moved or 

 carried in the process of locomotion, it is essential that no one limb or 

 structure should be disproportionately heavy or strong, or in other words 

 cumbersome in comparison to another. Excess of power or development 

 in one part in a horse may not be merely useless, because the strength 

 of the animal is limited by the weakest point ; but it may be and often 

 is a positive source of evil, and, if we may use the expression, of weakness. 

 For example, a well-developed carcass with good deep back ribs on the 

 top of weak legs will by its disproportionate weight and substance cause 

 the under-structures to fail sooner than they would otherwise do. Simi- 

 larly a strong powerful fore-hand is not an advantage if the hind quarters 

 are light; because the stress on the propelling agents will be unduly 

 great, and they will in consequence be more liable to fail. Similarly, if 

 the fore-legs are weak, they may suffer from excessive propulsion com- 

 municated to them by powerful hind quarters ; whilst they might per- 

 haps have lasted for years if the propelling power had been less good. 

 These examples, which might easily be multiplied, will probably be suffi- 

 cient to illustrate our meaning. In a well-formed horse there must be 

 no weak point ; neither must there be any part disproportionately power- 

 ful to the other parts. 



We cannot, however, expect to find in a horse, or indeed in any animal, 

 our ideal of perfection. The Author wishes to be careful not to lead the 

 reader to look for perfection. A good horse is an animal " with many 

 good, few indifferent, and no bad points" 



Minor deficiencies are often lessened, though never quite compensated 

 for, by other points of conformation. For instance, a horse may have 

 short back ribs, and may therefore appear hollow in the flank ; but if he 

 has wide hips and strong loins, it affords some compensation for the de- 

 fect. It may even happen, that points in themselves somewhat objec- 



