160 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The neck should be rather long and light, tliiii on the crest 

 and well arched, while the under side should be straight and 

 well and smoothly joined to the shoulders. A thick, flesliy crest 

 is usually an indication of a lazy horse. The mane should be 

 of moderate thickness and length, but not so heavy as to give 

 the horse a coarse, clumsy, vulgar look. The length and thick- 

 ness of the mane varies greatly in different breeds. The Arab 

 and the English Thoroughbred have a short, thin, silky mane, 

 while the famous Orloff trotters of Russia, are so remarkably 

 furnished in this respect, that the mane if not trimmed, or tied 

 up, would trail upon the ground. There is said to be in the 

 Royal Museum at Dresden, tlie stuffed skin of one of these 

 horses, which belonged to the last Saxon King of Poland, whose 

 mane measures twenty-four feet in length, and the tail thirty 

 feet. 



The withers should extend well back and be rather high and 

 thin. 



With such a conformation of head, neck, and withers, a horse 

 can hardly fail to be intelligent, courageous, spirited, light in 

 the forehand and, if well-trained, possessed of a pleasant mouth. 



The back of a stout, well-built horse, will be broad, nearly 

 straight, and not too long between the withers and the hips, 

 although it may be too short for the greatest speed or style. 

 The loins and hips should be broad and well covered with 

 muscle. The real power of a horse is greatly dependent upon 

 the character of these parts. 



The rump from the coupling of the hips to the insertion of 

 the tail should be long, and somewhat sloping, and the tail 

 properly set on, stout, straight, well-up and tliickly covered with 

 hair. It has been thought that a stiff dock, and bushy tail 

 were reliable indications of strength and pluck, but it is certain 

 that many a worthless horse has carried a splendid tail, and tliere 

 have been many smart, tough, powerful horses with weak and 

 almost naked docks. A good tail is however an essential 

 appendage of a beautiful horse, so important indeed, that art 

 sometimes supplies the deficiencies of nature. More than one 

 man has bought a fine team and found to his disgust that the 

 tail belonged to the harness and not to the horse. 



The chest of a good roadster should be deep and full, but 

 may be so broad as to give him a waddling gait. It is very 



