PROPORTIONS OF THE HORSE. 707 



in the cart-horse, the length of the body and its depth at 

 the withers are, respectively, several inches more than the 

 height, and the distance of the brisket from the ground. 

 The racer, on the contrary, is inclined to be shorter than 

 he is high, and measures much less from the withers to 

 brisket than from brisket to ground. 



As the result of my own observations I may add the 

 following proportions for thorough-breds only : — 



(10) Height at withers {c d) = length of body {a />), or a little (say, up 



to 4 inches) more. 



(11) Depth of body at withers {c e) = distance of "girth place") to 



lower part of fetlock in a three-year-old, or to centre of pastern 

 in an " aged " horse. 



Beyond repeating (p. 184) that the muscles of the neck 

 should be proportionate in length to those of the limbs, I 

 can offer no useful hint as regards the comparative length 

 of the neck ; for the only measurement which can be readily 

 taken of it, namely, that from the withers to the top of the 

 head, greatly alters in length, on account of the elasticity 

 of the connecting ligament (p. 39), according to the position 

 in which the head is held. We must here remember that 

 this suspensory ligament of the head and neck is immedi- 

 ately underneath the crest, and that the vertebras of the 

 neck (Fig. 18) do not follow this line. 



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