SADDLE HORSES. 145 



A saddle horse should have a rather short back, 

 the least bit curved, which is the true Arab forma- 

 tion. Mr. S. W. Parliu has indicated this shape in 

 the following description of Flying Eaton, a noted 

 Maine horse: "While he had a strong, broad loin 

 and excellent coupling, there was a graceful down- 

 ward curvature of the spine in front of the coupling 

 which gave him in some degree the appearance of 

 being slightly sway -backed, — a conformation often 

 found among the descendants of Sherman Morgan." 1 

 "Just the curve," writes Mr. Palgrave, describing 

 the Arab horses in the Emir's stables at Hail, " which 

 indicates springiness without any weakness." 



But it must be admitted that the rule as to short 

 backs is fairly riddled with exceptions. Very speedy 

 horses, as distinguished from weight-carriers and 

 "stayers," commonly have backs of medium or even 

 greater length ; and Whyte-Melville states that the 

 best three weight-carriers he ever knew all had the 

 fault of being overlong in the back. 



Other marks of a good saddle horse are short 

 cannon bones, strong quarters and hocks, — it is an 

 old stable aphorism, " ISTo 'ocks, no 'unter," — a neck 

 rather long, so that his wind may be good, feet 

 rather small, so that he may step lightly, and 

 pasterns somewhat oblique and yielding. A short, 

 straight pastern makes a hard gait, and is apt to 

 break down, and a pastern too long or too oblique 

 is an even greater indication of weakness. The pas- 

 tern of a saddle horse is next in importance to 

 the shoulder. Upon it depends his elasticity, and 

 to a considerable extent his jumping power, and 



1 See page 197. 

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