i8o COMPARATIVE SHAPE OF HORSES 



organs (those of breathing, circulation, digestion, secre- 

 tion, etc.) which are contained in the body. The lungs 

 of a draught animal, when facing a steep hill with a 

 heavy load behind him, have to be in as good order as 

 those of a racer which is finishing in front of the Grand 

 Stand at Epsom or Newmarket. His stomach, bowels, 

 liver, spleen, kidneys, etc., will also require to be as 

 healthy as those of the other. Hence we need not expect 

 to find, nor shall we meet with, any material difference 

 in the proportions of the respective bodies of these two 

 animals. If we take from the table given on page 170, the 

 depths, from withers to brisket, of the four representa- 

 tive horses, and divide them respectively into the lengths 

 of these animals, we shall find the ratio for Ormonde, St. 

 Simon and Cheadle Jumbo to be i to 2.1, and for Chance, 

 I to 2.2. Also, the proportion between the depth of the 

 body at the lowest point of the back, and the length of 

 the body, is about the same in all classes of horses, namely, 

 I to 2j (nearly). This is sufficient to prove the close 

 similarity of the proportions of the body in racers and 

 heavy cart-horses, and, a fortiori, in those of the inter- 

 mediate classes, such as hunters, troopers, and light harness 

 horses. 



It may be objected to the foregoing remarks that, in 

 the heavy draught animal, the shoulders are thicker, and 

 the breast broader in proportion to the length of the body, 

 than in the case of the galloper. This difterence, however, 

 is due, not to the shape of the body, but to the size of 

 muscles which are attached to the body (p. 244), and 

 which assist in movement. Consequently, they partake 

 of the character of the muscles of the legs. 



Limit of Height. — In all species of animals there 

 appears to be a limit of height which the respective 

 members cannot, as a rule, exceed, and at the same time 

 retain strength, activity and symmetry of form. We see 

 this law well exemplified in dogs, which can rarely sur- 



