PROPELLING POWER. 231 



A regular vaulter, be he man or horse, must accustom 

 the springs to early action. 



Where horses are wanting either in proper carriage 

 or good action, unless it arises from absolute mal- 

 formation, it proceeds from a want of tone or strength 

 in those ligaments or muscles, or both combined, that 

 should otherwise produce both: for instance, if a 

 colt does not in his gallop bring his hind-legs well 

 under him, if we let him go boring forward, he will 

 always go in the same way ; and if this is continued 

 till the muscles and tendons become rigid, no power 

 can ever after make him a good galloper : but if in 

 early life we throw him on his haunches, and force him 

 in his pace, we shall bring the propelling powers into 

 action. This will produce strength and elasticity in 

 them which were before wanting, and that want in- 

 creased by the bad way of going to which I have 

 alluded. I need scarcely say that no pains should be 

 spared to rectify it as far as possible in the colt ; for 

 I can safely affirm I never saw a horse that was 

 really clever or good for any one purpose to which 

 we put horses, unless he had his hind-legs well under 

 him. Whether in his gallop or trot, he cannot go 

 unless they are so ; and as to jumping, the man who 

 could make an elliptic spring out of a flagstone might 

 make such a horse a jumper, but no one else could. 



Whatever may be the failing we may perceive in 

 young horses or indeed in any horses, but of course 

 more especially in young ones whatever those 

 failings maybe, whether in temper, courage, or action, 

 the first thing to be done unquestionably is to en- 

 deavour to find out from what cause that failing arises ; 

 and having ascertained the cause, the next thing is 

 to apply the remedy. Unfortunately for horses, they 



Q 4 



