VI. 



SADDLE HOKSES. 



WHAT are the marks of a good saddle horse ? 

 Perhaps the most important one is the pos- 

 session of " riding shoulders," — i. e. long, sloping 

 shoulders, terminating in rather high, thin withers. 

 Such shoulders are indispensable for a good jumper, as 

 a horse always lands on his fore feet, and they make 

 the animal easy to sit. It was said of Fair Nell, the 

 Irish mare who beat Haleem Pacha's best Arab in 

 an eight-mile race, 1 that " she had such beautiful 

 shoulders, with so much before you, and with such 

 an elastic stride, that it was easy, even delightful, 

 to sit on her, although her temper was hot, and at 

 times she plunged violently." 



1 See page 119. 



