20 PECULIARITIES OF 



the principal muscles. In the first place, then, the 

 hips should be wide though not ragged, and square, 

 which proves that there is a grievous defect in the de- 

 velopment of the gluteus muscles. Nevertheless, such 

 formation is frequently met with in strong, dashing 

 goers and great fencers, though very seldom in suc- 

 cessful racehorses. Such hips, however, are generally 

 wide and long, and therefore present an immense sur- 

 face for insertion of the muscles ; so that, if there be a 

 paucity of development of muscle, there is neverthe- 

 less, also, an extended space for their action ; therefore, 

 although ragged hips are not, generally speaking, 

 characteristic of great racing properties, they should 

 not be condemned too hastily. 



From the hip-bone to the setting on of the tail the 

 length should be considerable, though the structure 

 should never be level, or what jockeys term ' peacocky ' 

 and 'high, setting on of the tail.' Most first-class 

 horses, both on the flat and across country, have their 

 tails set on low, with long and wide quarters — almost 

 approaching what racing men term ' mean quartered,' 

 from the circumstance, I believe, that most butchers' 

 horses with such quarters are celebrated as trotters. 



Possibly the two most remarkable instances of the 

 extremes of this formation are Mr. J. Anson's two 

 very successful mares, the Oaks and Derby, and the 

 St. Leger victors, Blink Bonny and Caller Ou. 



Still it must not be forgotten that there is no other 

 reason, anatomically speaking, for condemning straight 

 quarters, than that the angles being less, the hind 



