476 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



cause of their powers. However, it will be 

 sufficient for our general readers to lay down 

 the commonly received notions of points which 

 constitute what may be considered an effec- 

 tive animal, leaving- to those wlio wish to gain 

 a more extensive knowledge of the structure 

 of the Horse, to those more scientific works, 

 incompatible witii a work of this general na- 

 ture ; but which we can assure them will 

 amply repay them for their attention ; for we 

 know no study more instructive, or more 

 elevating, tha^ in the contemplation of the 

 wisdom which is displayed in the economy of 

 the animal structure. 



The want of knowledge of the proper or- 

 ganization of the Horse, for certain employ- 

 ments, no doubt is the cause of great disap- 

 pointment to their owners. 



Every Horse is adapted to some particular 

 purpose, for Horses not only differ in kind, but 

 like men, in utility, in temper, in stamina, &c., 

 and the selection of them, in regard to these 

 particulars, constitutes one of the most ardu- 

 ous and nicest duties of the judge ; he must 

 readily acknowledge good or bad conforma- 

 tion ; trace genealogy in the outline, and dis- 

 cover all that denotes good or bad, instinctive 

 and unalterable qualities. 



It requires some experience, but more at- 

 tentive observation, to be what is termed a 

 good judge in horse-phraseology. To know 

 at once, by a cast of the eye, whether the nag 

 is likely to suit ; is he cut out for a hackney, 

 or is he calculated for harness ? Does he 

 look like a hunter, or has he any good looks 

 about him ? Does he show any blood, or is 

 he all over a mongrel ? To such a man we 

 should recommend the uninitiated in the mys- 

 teries of horse-dealing to make purchases for 

 them. 



The exterior of the Horse may be divided, 

 for the convenience of describing his several 

 parts into head, neck, body, and legs. The 

 head should be small. A large head is con- 

 sidered a bad point, inasmuch as it really, 

 under certain circumstances, detracts from the 

 powers of the Horse ; he has, in fact, more to 

 carry ; it is a burden to him, and the only 

 way in which he can possibly carry it to ad- 

 vantage, is at the extremity of a short and 

 upright neck. Next to size, its shape be- 

 comes a consideration ; let the forehead be 

 broad and Hat, the eye staring, and full of 

 fire; the ears thin, fine, and often erect; the 

 nostrils circular, dilated, and reddened with- 

 in ; the lips soft, thin, and hairless ; the jowl 

 e-xtended, and the cheeks well marked. This, 

 at least, is what we would have it in the 

 thorough-bred ; and, as a general rule, the 

 nearer any other description of Horse ap- 

 proaches to it, the better is the family he 

 springs from, and the more sanguine we may 

 be in our prognostic of his abilities. 



The neck now demands our attention ; if 

 good, the crest will form an arc of agreeable 

 curve from the poll to the withers. It will be 

 of proportionate length, and progressive in- 

 crease in breadth, as it approaches the chest. 

 A long neck, if it be straight, or but little 

 curved, is objectionable. It has been said 

 that short-necked Horses are better winded 

 than others, because the air has less distance 

 to pass to and from the lungs ; but it is an 

 opinion which we do not pay much deference 

 to. The neck should be thin, at least, not 

 thick and heavy, and rounded and straight 

 along its lower mararin : should the canal of the 

 jugular vein be deep, and the windpipe full 

 and prominent below it, we may regard it as 

 a sign of good wind. If the arch of the neck 



