Present Varieties of the Horse. 17 



bosom; but here, as in most other cases, the happy me- 

 dium is to be desired. 



The body, or middle-piece, should be moderately long, 

 and not too much confined between the last rib and the 

 hip-bone. So long as the last or back-ribs are deep, it is 

 not of so much importance that they should be closely 

 connected to the hip-bone, for such a shape shortens the 

 stride ; and though it enables the horse to carry great 

 weight, yet it prevents him from attaining a high rate of 

 speed. The back itself should be muscular, and the hips 

 so wide as to allow of a good development of the muscular 

 department. The withers may rise gently, but not too 

 high, with that thin razor-like elevation which many people 

 call a good shoulder, but which really has nothing to do 

 with that part, and is only an annoyance to the saddler, 

 who has to prevent its being pinched by the saddle. The 

 chest itself should be well developed, but not too wide and 

 deep : no horse can go a distance without a fair " bellows- 

 room ; '' but, supposing the heart to be sound and of good 

 quality, the amDunt of lung will suffice which may be con 

 tained in a medium-sized chest, and all above that is 

 wasted, and is extra, weight. Many of our best winded 

 horses have had medium-sized chests ; and some of the 

 very worst have been furnished with room enough for a 

 pair of blacksmith's bellows to play in. If the heart only 

 does its duty well, the lungs can always furnish sufficient 

 air ; and we know that when frequently renewed, and with 

 sufficient power, the blood is aerated as fast as it is pro- 

 pelled, and the chief difficulty lies in this power of propul- 

 sion, which resides in the heart alone. If the chest be too 

 wide, it materially affects the action of the fore-legs, and 

 therefore, in every point of view, theoretically and practi- 

 cally, there is a happy medium between the too great 

 contraction in this department, and the heavy, wide lum- 

 bering chests sometimes seen even in the thorough-bred 

 race horse, especially when reared upon rich succulent 

 herbage, more fitted for the bullock than the Eastern 

 horse. In the formation of the hips, the essential point 

 is length and breadth of bone for muscular attachment, 

 and it matters little whether the croup droops a little, or 



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