FORMATION OF THE RIDING HORSE. 121 



His height should range from 15 hands to 15 hands 

 2 in., and in extreme cases, where the length of the 

 rider necessitates it, 16 hands will not be too high. 



His head and neck should be lighter and more hand- 

 some than that of either the racer, steeplechaser, or 

 hunter. His shoulders should be long and oblique, with 

 high withers, and his back, unless the weight exceed 

 14 st., should be long ; his hips neat and rounded, and 

 indeed the quarters may be more straight and peacocky 

 than can be suffered in animals which have to undergo 

 much wear and tear. 



The feet must be especially good, with strong 

 pasterns, which must be very long or the action will 

 never be easy and graceful ; and if the hind legs are 

 not placed very much under the body it matters little. 



His action must not be so high as to be rampant or 

 gaudy, but must be longer and not so round as is desir- 

 able in driving horses. Great attention should be paid 

 to the way in which the feet are put to the ground. As 

 he walks along his feet and legs should appear to be 

 slung from the shoulder straight before him, with the 

 heel downwards. If this be not the case all the action 

 in the world will only make him the more dangerous. 

 A riding horse that thrusts his toe into the ground as 

 he walks along cannot be suffered for an instant. 



If the horse roll or waddle in his walk or trot, he 

 has not the proper use of his shoulders, and must be 

 discarded at once for this purpose. Nothing is more 

 ungainly in appearance, and nothing more uncom- 

 fortable to the rider. 



