EARLY inSTOlfY .OF TIIK HUlJSE- 15 



that the oblique pastern was sadly liable to sprain, and there would often 

 be injury through the whole course of the flexor tendon, nothing could 

 have been added to the force of his observation. 



' The bones of the legs ought to be large, since they are supporters of 

 the body ; not, however, thick with veins or cellular matter.' He is 

 speaking of the war-horse and the hunter ; and what can be more correct ? 



' If the colt in walking bends his knees freely, you may judge, when he 

 comes to be ridden, that his legs will be supple ; and supple joints are 

 justly commended, as they make a horse less liable to stumble, and not 

 tire so soon as when his joints are stiff.' 



' The thighs under the shoulders (the fore-arms), when they are large, 

 are both powerful and graceful; and the chest being large, contributes not 

 only to beauty and strength, but to a horse's being able to continue a long 

 time in one pace.' 



' The neck should proceed from the chest, rising upwards, and it should 

 be loose about the bend of the head ; the head too, being bony, should have 

 a small cheek. Tlie eye should be standing ou.t, and not sunk in the 

 cheek. The nostrils that are wide, are not only better adapted for breath- 

 ing than those that are compressed, but hkewise cause the horse to appear 

 more terrible in battle. The top of the head being large, and the ears 

 small, makes the head appear more elegant. The point of the shoulder 

 likewise, being high, renders that part of the body more compact.' The 

 author was evidently aware of the advantage of this form, but he did not 

 know the principles on which it was founded. 



' The sides, being deep and swelling towards the belly, make a horse in 

 general more commodious to be seated on, and better able to digest his 

 food. The broader and shorter his loins are, the more readily will he 

 throw his fore feet out ; and the belly that appears small, being large, not 

 only disfigures a horse, but makes him weaker and less able to carry his 

 rider.' How beautifully again he seizes the point, although we of the 

 present day smile a little at his illustration ! 



' The haunches should be large and full of flesh, that they may corre- 

 spond -with the sides and the chest ; and when all these are fii-m, they make 

 a horse lighter for the course and fuller of animation.' 



Another work of Xenophon, Ylepi 'iTTTraj/c, — on the management of the 

 horse,— exhibits equal proof of a knowledge of the points and proper treat- 

 ment of this animal, mixed with the same ignorance of the principles "on 

 which these things are founded. He was an acute observer, and the facts 

 made their due impression, but no one had yet taught the anatomy and 

 physiology of the horse. 



The Romans, from the very building of their cities, paid much attention 

 to the breeding and management of the horse ; but tliis was more than 

 700 years after this animal had been imported into Greece, and his value 

 and importance had begun to be almost universally acknowledged. 



Horse and chariot races were early introduced at Rome. The chariot 

 races fell gradually into disrepute, but the horse races were continued to 

 the times of the Ctesars, and the 3^oung men of the equestrian order were 

 enthusiastically devoted to this exercise. There were not, however, any 

 of the difficulties or dangers that attended the Grecian races. They were 

 chiefly trials of speed or of dexterity in the performance of certain circles, 

 now properly confined to our theatrical exhibitions. The rider would 

 stand upright on his steed, lie along his back, pick up things from the 

 ground at full speed, and leap from horse to horse in the swiftest gallop. 



A singular circumstance in the management of this animal by the 

 Romans was the superior value which they attributed to the mare. Their 

 natural historians, agriculturists, and poets unite in this opinion. Perhaps 



