364 WEIGHT-CARRYING AND STAYING POWER. 



riding horse, when the muscles over the loins are power- 

 ful, and when the fore-hand is light ; that is to say, when 

 the shoulders and pasterns are oblique, and the head, 

 neck and shoulders light, in which case the fore legs 

 will not be wide apart (p. 244). As thick muscles are 

 unsuited to bear the strain of continued quick work, 

 we usually find that genuine stayers at fast paces are not 

 heavily built horses. Any excess of height over the croup, 

 as compared to that at the withers, will add to the weight 

 on the fore-hand (p. 53). The fact of the neck (p. 218) 

 being abnormally short in comparison to the limbs, will 

 naturally detract from the staying power. The same 

 remark applies to the possession of " sickle-hocks " (p. 66). 

 In heavy draught, the mechanical advantage will be on the 

 side of a heavy fore-hand. 



In some breeds of horses, there is an important 

 difference between staying power (using the term in 

 its racing sense), and ability to endure long continued 

 fatigue. For instance. East Indian ponies, though often 

 very fast for a short distance, are notoriously bad stayers ; 

 and yet they are wonderfully good animals on a long 

 journey. Thus, many of them which are incapable of 

 " getting " beyond three furlongs in a race, would, if 

 harnessed to an ecka (Fig. 417), do, comfortably, 70 

 or 80 miles from sunrise to sunset, with the thermo- 

 meter at noon up to 110° F. or more, in the shade. 

 Here the lack of staying power is due to the organs of 

 breathing being unable to continue work under high 

 pressure. These " country-bred " ponies (Figs. 417 and 

 602), though long in the legs, have plenty of room for 

 their digestive organs, in comparison to the size of their 

 bodies (pp. 232 to 236). With thin necks and light 

 shoulders, their good legs and feet have but httle 

 weight to carry ; and as the quality of their tissues is 

 of the best, and their spirit undeniable, they can go 

 marvellously long distances without getting knocked up 

 — provided always that they are not over-paced or 



