20 ON THE FORMATION OF 



this position he should be, as it were, struck by 

 the appearance of the great breadth and length 

 of the back part of the quarters ; and as he moves 

 his head to the right or left, the centre and out- 

 side of the quarters and thighs, and the swell of 

 the muscles, should appear beyond a level with 

 the hips. The upper part of the muscles on the 

 inside of the quarters should appear quite close 

 to each other, so that no vacant space should be 

 visible between them, as that of an appearance 

 of the horse being (if I may thus express my- 

 self) chucked up in the fork. Such should be 

 the lengthy and muscular quarters of a well- 

 made race horse. 



The stifle-joint should be in a direct line under 

 the hip, and the length from this joint to that 

 of the hock cannot reasonably be too long, and 

 the farther out of the angular or oblique position 

 of the thigh bone the better, so as to admit of the 

 back part or projecting point of the hock ap- 

 pearing some distance out beyond the top of the 

 hind quarters; those parts being thus formed, 

 admit of a very considerable lever for the main 

 tendon here to act upon the tendon Achilles, 

 which, like the flexor one of the leg, can scarcely 

 be too large or too distinctly seen in its com- 



