LESSONS IN HORSE JUDGING. 87 



gas in the bowels. This can only be when he is 

 living on highly nutritious diet in a concentrated 

 form, such as oats and hay. Should an animal, 

 as in summer, be living on less nutritious diet, 

 and this engulphed in coarse, watery, non-nutri- 

 tive material, causing the digestive apparatus 

 much work, then this residual gas is for the time 

 greatly increased, whilst the powers are taxed to 

 their utmost, and it not unfrequently happens 

 that these fail in balancing the quantity of this 

 gas, and so ' windy colic ' results. It is then for 

 us to ask first of all what the horse we are pur- 

 chasing is living upon. If it is green food, we ex- 

 pect to find a larger belly than when hving upon 

 harder and more concentrated food. When the 

 gas in the bowels is much less than common, it 

 gives to the animal an unsightly appearance, and 

 he is said to be 'tucked up in his flanks;' but I 

 must caution you here against being deceived in 

 the import of this. If a horse is pained in mov- 

 ing his hind legs, he wiU be tucked up in the 

 flanks on the side on which the lame leg is, and 

 tucked up on both flanks, of course, if lame on 

 both hind legs. In this case, the gas in the 

 bowels may not be proportionately less, unless he 

 is otherwise in bad health, but it is more com- 

 pressed and pushed forwards, and encroaches 

 upon his breathing area. Some horses have 

 habitually an appearance of less residual gas in 

 their bowels even when in health. This gives 

 their beUy an unsightly, tucked up appearance, 

 but it is not in itself a blemish. It will occur 

 from overwork, and is one of the best indica- 



