COMPARATIVE STOUTNESS 87 



concerned, the modern horse has profited by the long-continued and 

 careful selection which has been made of sires and dams. Every breeder 

 has considered good blood a sine qud no7i, but to this he has added a 

 frame as well adapted as possible to the requirements of the turf. The 

 improvement has chiefly been in the length and slope of the shoulders, 

 and in the length of the arms and thighs, the head also being a good deal 

 attended to, but perhaps as often improperly chosen. No doubt the 

 muzzle can hardly be too fine, but with a small one are often coupled a 

 narrow forehead, and a contracted jaw, two defects of the greatest possible 

 importance ; the one interfering with the amount of nervous energy, and 

 the other with good wind. There is no disputing the perfection of shape 

 of the modern English race-horse, and I believe that, perhaps with the 

 single exception of the greyhound, he is the most beautiful animal in 

 creation. Indeed, under certain conditions, he is superior to his canine 

 rival ; because he can be so excited as to induce him to display his shapes 

 better than the greyhound, and his superficial veins, being more readily 

 seen when distended, add greatly to his fiery and spirited appearance. I 

 am very doubtful whether the choice of shape has always been correct, and 

 especially in selecting shoulders and quarters. Many breeders have had a 

 fancy for the high croup which is so constantly seen among the Arabs, 

 but which I cannot help fancying to be a defect. A very sloping quarter 

 is almost equally bad, but of the two extremes I much prefer it. Our 

 modern trainers are quite aware of this, and a " peacocky " horse, that is, 

 with his tail set on high, is their aversion. The true shape is that which 

 is given in the portrait of Saunterer, in which horse there is a fine amount 

 of fall, without going into either extreme. 



COMPARATIVE STOUTNESS 



But are our modern horses as stout as those of the last century "^ 

 Such is the question which has been very differently answered by Lord 

 Redesdale and Admiral Rous, in their correspondence on the alteration 

 of the weights proposed by the former, who contends that while their 

 speed for short distances has been developed to a great extent, their 

 stoutness, or the power of staying over a distance of ground, has greatly 

 diminished. The arguments 2^'^o ^-iid con which each has adduced would 

 occupy too much space for me to go into them at length, especially as 

 they have been mixed up with others which bear upon the degeneracy 

 of man rather than of his slave the horse. I may however quote one 

 extract from an article in daily's Magazine of Sports, by the Admiral, 

 which supports his position in an exceedingly clear manner. He says — 



" A very ridiculous notion exists that because our ancestors were 

 fond of matching their horses four, six, and eight miles, and their 

 great prizes were never less than four miles for aged horses, the English 

 race-horses of 1700 had more powers of endurance, and were better 

 adapted to run long distances under heavy weights, than the horses 

 of the present day ; and there is another popular notion that our horses 

 cannot now stay four miles. 



"From 1600 to 1740 most of the matches at Newmarket were above 



