CONFORMATION AND ACTION 13 



sign of intelligence and a willing disposition, while 

 "lop" ears, flopping sidewise like those of a hare, are 

 still less beautiful, but denote a placid, generous but 

 slightly sluggish disposition. Very small ears, that 

 are pricked inward at the points, called " rabbit ears," 

 are extremely pretty, but generally belong to a hot- 

 tempered horse with a strong will of his own. 



The neck should be moderately long, and the upper 

 outline should be convex rather than cancave. A 

 concave neck, one that is "put on upside down," is 

 called a ewe neck. It is not only extremely ugly but 

 is also, mechanically, a bad formation. Horses so 

 formed are unsightly and difficult to control, as they 

 are unable to flex their necks, and consequently they 

 stick their noses in the air and are what is called "star 

 gazers." On the other hand, horses whose necks are 

 too much bent are generally apt to pull, inasmuch 

 as they are, through this peculiar formation, able to 

 press their chins against their chests whenever they 

 feel the bit. Short thick necks are ungraceful, and 

 render the animal unhandy to control, but then, again, 

 horses whose necks are too thin and pliable, and too 

 much cut out at the jowl, are apt to go wrong in the 

 wind, owing to the fact that the breathing tubes have 

 insufficient room. This type of neck is called a "swan 

 neck." The upper part of a well-shaped neck should 

 be long, and, though thin when viewed from the side, 

 should appear deep through when looked at from 

 above. "The late Charley Wise, of Eton, the eminent 

 dealer in the 'fifties and sixties,' than whom no better 

 judge existed, was wont to point out that the neck 

 was the first place that a horse began to tire; and he 

 used to insist upon the muscles just behind the poll 

 being very well developed (which can be particularly 



