210 THE horse-keeper's guide. 



blood horse, we cannot help being struck with the differ 

 ence of appeiirance. 



In the luiiinproved breeds there is a dull uniformity of 

 feature, a larii^e head and narrow brow, with small eyes 

 diid tliick clumsy lid, indicative of a small brain, and its 

 usual though not invariable accompaniment, a want of 

 energy. 



In the well-bred horse it is small and angular, (in the 

 saddle horse it can hardly be too small,) with an animated 

 intelligence of countenance. The space between the eyes 

 flat and broad (and it is the breadth of the frontal bones 

 which gives to the blood horse that beautiful expression 

 of intelligence and fire), the face gradually tapering from 

 forehead to muzzle. The muzzle thin, delicately formed, 

 and tapering to the lips, which should be firm and well 

 supported ; when they hang loose and pendulous, it be- 

 speaks age, sluggishness, or debility. 



The nostril should be thin, wide, and cartilaginous, a 

 wide open nostril (shewing, within, the rosy membrane,) is 

 not only retpiisite to form beauty in the lower part of the 

 head, but it is also conducive to free respiration and good 

 wind. The nostril is always large in swift and active 

 horses, and forms not a bad criterion of the size of the 

 lungs ; a slow horse may possibly have a large nostril, but 

 a swift one never had a small one. 



The eyes. The globe should be large, full, and pro- 

 minent, and expressive of vigour, with a thin uirfacc of 

 eyelid. If the eye be apparently small (and the difference 

 in the size of the eye is governed by the size of the open- 

 ing,) or sunk in its orbit, or surrounded with much adhe- 

 sive substance, it is found to be prone to inflammation. 



In some horses, the transparent cornea is small, and the 

 eye shows much of the white. This has nothing to do 

 with temper, but the large a})pearance of white occasioned 

 by the retroverted direction of the eye, when accompanied 

 by depression of the ears, may be received as an indication 

 of vicious disposition. 



The ears should be placed wide apart, spirited, small, 

 and pointed towards each other at the end. They are 

 sure criteria of the spirit and temper of the animal : he is 

 seldom either vicious or playful, but the ears are laid flat 

 back ; but when he continues them in that position, he is 

 meditating mischief. The quick change of position, and 



