362 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



WEIGHT-CARRYING AND STAYING POWER. 



Weight-carrying Power. — The special points for 

 weight-carrying power are : — 



1. Length and obhquity of shoulder-blade (p. 266 

 et seq.). 



One might be inclined to think that very oblique 

 shoulders are not an advantage from a weight-carrying 

 point of view ; for they necessitate the saddle being put 

 farther back on the horse, than would be the case with 

 shoulders of only a moderate slope. At the same time 

 we must remember that with horses of the same depth of 

 body at the withers, the more oblique the shoulder-blades, 

 the longer they will be. 



2. Strong shoulder muscles are particularly necessary 

 for carrying a heavy burden, because the fore legs, especi- 

 ally at fast paces, have to bear more weight than the 

 hind legs (p. 53). As some of these muscles lie between 

 the withers and top of the shoulder blade, on each side ; 

 good weight-carriers will generally have their withers 

 more or less thick. 



3. Strong loin muscles. 



4. Good substance of bone. 



Ormonde (Frontispiece), " the horse of last century," 

 St. Gatien, the dead-heater for the Derby and winner of the 

 Cesarewitch, and Cloister (Frontispiece), were horses of 

 great bone, and marvellous weight-carriers. 



5. Pasterns not too sloping. 



