94 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



The convexity of the head, whatever may be its extent and degree, 

 is not very desirable, on account of its inelegance and the habitual nar- 

 rowness which accompanies it. 



For a long time, more especially during the last century, the con- 

 vex head was very much in demand. But it was believed that horses 

 which presented it had narrow nasal cavities and intermaxillary spaces ; 

 that they were particularly predisposed to become roarers. By judi- 

 cious crossing, attempts were made to cause its disappearance from the 

 races in which it was most common, those of the north of Europe, 

 Normandy, Limousin, Spain, Algeria, etc. To-day it is quite rare 

 and is ceasing to be a distinct race peculiarity. Most authors have 

 considered it as characteristic of a deficient development of the cranial 

 cavity and the respiratory apparatus, and as indicating a predisposition 

 to grave diseases. M. de Curnieu remarks that " it represents the ex- 

 treme of degeneration ; the horse possessing such a shaped head is the 

 idiot of the species, and is found in the poorest parts of England, 

 Germany, and Normandy." 



6. The head is snub-nosed when its anterior face is concave, or 

 when the concavity is limited to the inferior part of the forehead. It 

 is common among the Irish race, as the Irish cob and the Shetland 

 pony, and in the Corsican and Sardinian ponies. Ordinarily short, 

 wide, and in relation with the development of the respiratory apparatus, 

 it is incorrect to believe that it is an objectionable characteristic. 

 Nothing justifies this belief. It gives the animal a certain air of 

 aggressiveness and independence ; it is often allied with marked 

 robustness, great energy, and a series of other good qualities of the 

 race in which it is observed. 



7. The head is compared to that of the rhinoceros when the 

 concavity exists only at the inferior extremity of the nasal bones. It 

 was formerly observed in the Ardennaise horse and is a good conforma- 

 tion, although perhaps disagreeable to the eye. It may be congenital 

 or acquired : congenital, when it is present at birth ; acquired, when 

 it is the result of pressure or of fracture of the nasal bones, as we have 

 remarked in the chapter on the nose. It only becomes a defect in the 

 latter case when, from displacement or the formation of a callus in the 

 nasal fossae, it becomes an obstruction to respiration. 



The relative value of these diiferent forms is by no means 

 absolute, and each one has numerous exceptions. We have known 

 h arses with arched heads, which, during several years, performed 

 extremely laborious services. In others, the width of the maxillary 

 space by our measurements was as great as that in subjects with 



