HORSE BREEDING. 



1329 



short backs arc not desirable, as a certain amount of lengtli is essential 

 in order that the animal may have action and a certain amount of speed. 



GOOD AND BAD BACK. 



Though shortness of the back indicates strength, particularly as regards 

 carrying weight, we must remember that too much must not be sacri- 

 ficed for any one point, and a horse with a very short back is apt to 

 overreach (forge) unless his shoulders be very oblique. Backs which 

 are in their original formation hollow, invariably become more so under 

 the influence of weight and age. This is particularly noticeable in stall- 

 ions that are used in the stud. In fact, all backs, though originally 

 straight, become more or less hollow with age. This effect is partly due 



GOOD AND BAD HINDQUARTERS. 



to the ordinary mechanical action of weight on a given line, and partly 

 to wasting away of the muscles in old age. A horse with what is called 



