ON THE HACKNEY AND HUNTER. 2ll 



Heavy-fhouldered horfes, and high hammer- 

 ing goers, beat and founder their feet. The 

 ill confequences of being fore low, in a 

 faddle-horfe, are fufficiently obvious ; but to a 

 pack-horfe, it is an advantage. The old pre- 

 judice, in favour of fhort backs, round barrels, 

 and carcafe ribbed home up to the huggen- 

 bones, feems to have given way to the reafon- 

 ings of Bracken; and the idea of an equal, and 

 proper diftribution of length, is in general 

 adopted by our fporting people. Indeed, to 

 view the back of a horfe, merely as a bearing 

 fixed upon upright columns, the intent of 

 which is folely to (land under a given weight, 

 a fhort bearing would have the preference ; 

 but as the back of a horfe is deftined to move, 

 as well as fuftain weight, it muft be confidered 

 how far a defect of its longitude, and an irre- 

 gularity in the general difpofition of length, 

 retards action. Our Jockies fay, " A racer," 

 they might have faid a goer, " muft have 

 length fomewhere." That is perfectly juft; but 

 in confequence, it always happens, that a 

 horfe which wants length in his back, will be 

 fure to have it in fome improper place, the 

 legs for inftance. Short-backed (tallions are 

 very apt to get leggy, fpider-lhaped ftock. A 

 horfe which {lands over a great deal of ground, 

 may be a goer, merely by virtue of his general 



p 2 length 



