554 



CONTINENTAL HORSES. 



other heavy-draught blood, and is strong evidence of 

 inabiUty to stand hard work under the saddle. These 

 Russian remounts have as a rule short backs, muscular 

 loins, good feet, fairly intelligent heads, and are well 

 ribbed-up. They are particularly good across the loins, 

 which is a point that receives much attention from 

 Russian breeders ; and consequently they are long in 



I'hotO bt/} 



Fig. 552. — Russian Remount with .Arab cross. 



[M. H. H. 



their back ribs, as we may see by the lower line of the 

 body being more or less parallel with the ground (pp. 232 

 to 236) in all these horses. Formerly the horses of the 

 Don, from which country the best remounts are obtained, 

 were generally " back at the knees " (" calf-kneed "), 

 but this defect has been almost entirely eliminated by 

 careful selection of sire and dam. The members of the 

 committees which pass or reject the animals bought up 



