THE FRAMEWORK OF THE HORSE. 43 



these two levers, and to their lying at right angles to 

 the hip-bone and shoulder-blade respectively which is 

 recognised by the form of the haunch, and what we call 

 a good shoulder ; the. length of the stride and its power 

 depending, as is very evident, on those particulars to a 

 great extent. 



A farther proof of the same fact may be gathered 

 from Plate II., * which shows the principal muscles, and 

 the way in which they are arranged. It is those in the 

 back, loins, hips and shoulders that concern us here 

 more especially ; arid we perceive that the principal ones 

 of these all coalesce, as it were, into the large flat tendon 

 covering the identical portion of the back pointed out as 

 the centre of motion. This tendon, like all others, is 

 devoid of contractile power ; and the corresponding sets 

 of muscles of the fore and back hand exert their con- 

 tractile powers upon it in opposite directions, whilst it 

 remains stationary, so to say the whole process having 

 a certain analogy with the familiar instance of a pair of 

 curtains drawn forward by cords to the middle of a 

 window. 



According to the laws of mechanics, when two forces 

 of equal intensity cross each other, as the lines P Q, 

 E S, do in fig. 4, the line in which the combined result 

 of both is further propagated will lie equally distant 

 from and between the two original forces and this is, 

 in the instance before us, perpendicularly upwards, as 

 shown by the upper arrow ; and the antagonistic force 

 of gravitation in plain language, the weight of the 

 rider will be best met when it acts in precisely the 

 opposite direction, or perpendicularly downwards in the 

 direction of the lower arrow ; and therefore, if the 

 * Taken from Seidler's Leitfaden, &c. 



