45 



CHAP. XVI. 



ON THE BELLY. 



THERE is not much to be said on this part 

 of the animal. The belly of a good horse 

 ought to be round underneath the quarters, and 

 nearly so at the fore legs, where it should 

 spread a little, and be somewhat thicker at the 

 girth than at the kidneys. A good horse ought 

 to have a full and strong carcase, otherwise he 

 will have but indifferent command of his legs, 

 and consequently little or no action. Horses 

 that are herring-bellied, that is, whose ribs are 

 flat instead of round, are generally extremely 

 v/eak, and are seldom approved. When the 

 ribs are flat, the belly is much sunk and encum- 

 bered. If the belly be too much shrunk, and 

 is small, it shews that the horse is not^in good 

 health, and that he feeds poorly. 



