LATERAL FACES OF THE BODY. 161 



be desired, whatever may be the service required, for they are correla- 

 tive to one another. The variations, in this respect, are so insignificant 

 that they do not deserve to be taken into consideration. The English 

 thoroughbred horse differs essentially in his form from the heavy 

 draught-horse, but the relations of the three dimensions of his chest 

 are sensibly the same as in the latter when both have a spacious lung. 

 All proportions considered, the rib seems perhaps a little longer und less , 

 convex ; what tends especially to make it appear thus is the particular 

 nature of the tissues and muscles which cover it. 



3d. Depth or Length. The length of the chest is measured 

 from before backward, from the angle of the shoulder to the middle 

 part of the last rib. It is easily appreciated by examining the horse 

 in profile. It depends upon : 1st, the width of the intercostal spaces ; 

 2d, the degree of projection of the ribs behind. 



The chest may be deep without the back acquiring an immoderate 

 length. 



In fact, ribs very much arched and strongly oblique behind and 

 below cause the thoracic cavity to encroach in a certain proportion upon 

 the abdomen. Nevertheless, as the width of the intercostal spaces is 

 in direct ratio with the length of the dorsal region, it follows that a 

 long chest is incompatible with a short back. The English horse pre- 

 sents a very fine chest when he is well formed, and he generally trans- 

 mits this beauty to his descendants as well as to the offspring of his 

 crosses with our native horses. 



Defects. When the chest is deficient in height, the horse is said to 

 be too far from the earth ; he has no chest, no xiphoid region ; too much 

 air passes under his abdomen ; he is wanting in girth ; his sides or fake 

 ribs are short ; his hoops are not low enough. When the chest is wanting 

 in width, it is said to be narrow ; it is short, on the contrary, when it 

 is wanting in length or depth. 



Finally, when it is deficient in its three dimensions, the animal 

 lacks or has no insides. 



In describing the inherent beauties of a large development of the 

 chest we have, at the same time, demonstrated the inconveniences of its 

 defects ; it is, therefore, not necessary to return to the latter here. 



To recapitulate, the chest, to be beautiful, or ideally perfect, should 

 be high, wide, and long. 



The relation existing between its different diameters varies but 

 little in horses of the same race. 



The differences depend in most instances upon the state of fatness 

 or emaciation of the animals, or upon improper exercise and training. 



11 



