108 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



horses in low condition show a slight interruption in the curve 

 of the back at this point, due to the wasting away of the muscles 

 filling in the angle between the last vertebra of the loins and the 

 first of those of the croup. 



The hips should be well rounded and not too prominent. A 

 horse with too prominent, ragged hips is apt to strike and break 

 them when going through narrow gates or doorways. When 

 the point of the hip is broken, it is easily seen by the lack of 

 symmetry, when viewed from the rear. The usefulness of the 

 animal is not always impaired by such an accident, nor is he 

 always made, even temporarily, lame by it. 



The diaphragm is the muscle that controls inspiration — 

 the act of taking air into the lungs. When the air enters the 

 lungs, the diaphragm is pressed against the contents of the ab- 

 domen, they in turn press against the abdominal tunic, and it, 

 being fastened to the point of the hip, exerts a pull there at each 

 breath. A broken hip, therefore, cannot rest long enough to 

 heal properly, and the symmetry of the part is always marred. 



The region between the hips, the loins, and the posterior 

 ribs is called the flank (Figure 67). This should be well filled 

 out and not too large. In the horse that is well ribbed up, there 

 should be no more than room enough to lay the hand between 

 the ribs and hip. A gauntness appears in the flank after great 

 exertion, or when feeding or watering has been neglected. A 

 horse that is losing condition shows it first in the flank. 



The croup should slope downward toward the tail but little 

 and should be convex in profile, viewed either from the side or 

 rear. Horses whose croups slope too much towards the rear 

 are termed goose-rumped (Figure 68). Aside from being un- 

 sightly, a goose-rumped horse lacks muscular development where 

 it is very necessary, since certain of the large muscles of the 

 thigh form their attachment there. These muscles originate 

 propulsion, and any lack of development or loss of leverage 

 reacts directly on the strength and length of the animal's stride. 

 The five vertebras of the croup grow together early in the life 

 of the horse. 



The dock is the tail, without its hair. 



The hunter shown on the opposite page is a model. He 

 has a perfect back and trunk. 



