35 



CHAP. XII. 



ON THE BOSOM. 



THE bosom of a horse is that part which 

 lies immediately between the arms^ and great 

 care must be taken in observing its form. It 

 ought not to be too wide, as a horse with such 

 a bosom never can go with speed, particularly 

 in that pace called the trot; because if the 

 bosom be too wide it is impossible f n* the ani- 

 mal to. throw his hind legs clear outside of the 

 fore legs, and unless the former are thrown in 

 the manner now described, he can never be a 

 fast trotter, as he will, if weak and long in 

 the pasterns, strike the shoe of the hind foot 

 against the shoe of the fore foot, (which is 

 called clapping or over-reaching,) especially if 

 the road be covered with stiff clay, which 

 impedes the action of the fore feet. Horses 

 with too little bone for their carcase, with long 

 pasterns, and which go as above described, are 

 c6 



