3i4 



THE IMODERN SYSTEM 



demand upon them, and it is answered, their 

 power is the sooner exhausted. Under cir- 

 cumstances of great exhaustion and debility, 

 rest is the only real and natural cordial to be 

 depended on ; but, unhappily, tliis is too little 

 attended to, and the poor animal is driven off 

 his leofs, and comes to the knackers long: be- 

 fore his natural period would require, if only 

 treated with care and humanity. 



The conventional form of the Horse, as to 

 the great essentials, may be held referable to 

 every variety ; for example, the head should 

 be lean, argutum caput, neither long nor short, 

 and set on with somewhat of a curve ; the 

 thropple loose and open ; the neck not reversed 

 (cock-throppled), but rather arched ; the loins 

 wide and substantial, more especially should 

 the back be long ; the tail not drooping, but 

 nearly on a level with the spine ; the hinder 

 quarters well spread, as a support to the loins, 

 and as a security against the approach to 

 each other of the pasterns in {)rogression, from 

 which results cutting them with the hoofs ; 

 the hinder legs should descend straight, late- 

 rally from the hocks, as a preventive to the 

 defect styled sickle-liougJied or hammed ; at 

 the same time, the curve from the hock should 

 be to the degree that the feet may be placed 

 sufficiently forward to prop the loins, and that 

 the Horse may not be said to leave his legs 

 behind him ; the muscles of the thigh and fore 

 arm should be solid and full, though some 

 Horses are heavy and overdone by nature in 

 those parts. The Horse, of whatever descrip- 

 tion, should not be leggy, and, of the extremes, 

 short legs are surely preferable. The canon 

 or leg-bone, below the knee, should not be 

 long, but of good substance, and the pasterns 

 and feet of a size to accord with the size of 

 the Horse ; the hoof dark, feet and frog tough. 



heel wifle and open ; the fore feet should stand 

 perfectly level, the toe pointing ibrvvartl ia a 

 right line, else the Horse will knock or "cut 

 in the speed," however wide his chest ; in 

 plain terms, he will either strike and wound 

 his pasterns, or his legs immediately below the 

 knees, or both; the feet standing even, the 

 Horse being equal to his vt'ork, will seldom, 

 perhaps never, knock or cut, however near 

 the hoof may approach. A full, clear, azure 

 eye. 



Such are the requisites of form, whether for 

 the racer or cart Horse. For the hack, hunter, 

 or racer, there are certain other requisites of 

 form and quality ; the chief of which to be 

 quoted are the deep, backward-declining, and 

 as it is called, the counter or coulter shoulder, 

 well elevated forehand, deep girthing place, 

 with sufficient racing blood to give lightness, 

 action, and fineness of hair and .skin. This 

 description applies with perfect aptitude to the 

 hunter, which should have moreover great 

 strength of loin and fillet, and should not be 

 high upon the leg. Nor is any addition 

 necessary for the running-horse, but greater 

 general length, which is the usual result of 

 full or thorough blood. As to our coach horses, 

 such is the modern rage for speed, that our 

 mails and stages may well be said to consist, 

 in a considerable degree, of racers and hunters ; 

 and our private coaches of hunting-like Horses 

 on a large scale. 



In regard to the natural and peculiar form 

 of the slow draught Horse, he carries his 

 substance in a round, full, and horizontal 

 mode ; his chest is wide and full ; his shoulder 

 rather round and bluff than deep, and its 

 summit, the apex or top of the forehand, not 

 high and acute, but wide. Such form seems 

 best adapted to the collar, and to enaole ttie 



