EXTERIOR. 53 



ting the excession of a length of indefinite magnitude, 

 which constitutes the withers. The obliquity of a fine 

 shoulder facilitates the extension of movements. 



The animal being viewed full-face, the direction of the 

 two shoulders against the chest should incline upon the 

 withers, so that the angle they form, with the vertical 

 medial plane, be sufficiently open in the convergence 

 towards its apex. 



It is necessary to explain what, in customary termino- 

 logy, is meant by the word shoulder ; it is the length 

 comprised between the culminating point of the withers 

 and the region known as the. point of the shoulder (HE, 

 fig. 31.) The word shoulder, taken in this sense, is a 

 convention for an omoplate long face, at the most 40 

 centimeters in a length of 60 centimeters (exclusive of 

 the head), limiting this factitious shoulder, which com- 

 prises not only its cartilage of 5 centimeters, at the most 

 elevated point of its curve, but in addition 7 centimeters 

 which form an excession to compose beautiful withers 

 with the summits of the dorsal apophysis. 



The 8 centimetres which, in a well-bred animal, remain, 

 to attain to the point are the prominent tuberosities of 

 the humerus or arm, outside the scope of the omoplate. 



It is extremely difficult to give an accurate account, 

 externally, of this concave base, the attachment of which 

 varies with the obliquity of the shoulder. 



The reduction of the superior portion of the scapulo- 

 humeral articulation is the greater because this shoulder 

 inclines in order to diminish the angle of the two bones; 

 the superior prominences of the humerus in that case only 

 become the more apparent. These, together with the 

 longitudinal edge of the scapulum, are the only ones 

 really visible to the artist. 



I here take an example within every one's reach, that 

 of Rainbow, the celebrated race-horse, the covered 

 skeleton of which is at Alfort's veterinary school. I 

 have studied and measured it. It is of ordinary height 

 and has a very small head, 56 centimeters from the 

 nape of the neck to the teeth. If we measure upon 

 this horse what it is customary to call the shoulder, 

 whilst partially taking into account what constitutes it 

 (that is to say from the culminating point of the withers 



