HORSES. 



91 



is disproportionately small, the quantity of nourisliment 

 is deficient, and her offspring has all the dispropotions 

 of a starveling. But when a female, from her size and 

 good constitution, is more than adequate to the nourish- 

 ment of a foetus of a male smaller than herself, the 

 growth must be proportionably greater. The large 

 female has also a greater quantity of milk, and her 

 offspring is more abundantly supplied with nourishment 

 after birth." 



Youatt says, " It may perhaps be justly affirmed that 

 there is more difficulty in selecting a good mare to breed 

 from than a good horse. Her carcase should be long, 

 in order to give room for the growth of the foetus ; and 

 yet with this there should be compactness of form and 

 shortness of leg." . 



Linsley, in his prize essay, says " the stallion should 

 be selected partly with reference to the form and 

 characteristics of the mare, and he should possess in a 

 high degree those qualities in which the mare is most 

 deficient. In all cases he should be compact and 

 possessed of a vigorous constitution, have a bold, resolute 

 style of action, high spirit, and a great deal of that 

 nervous or vital energy which gives life to the whole." 



Again Linsley says, ^^ All experience shows that the 

 horse of medium size is far the most capable of per- 

 forming great feats upon either the turf or road in 

 carrying weight at lon^ distances. The Arabian, univer- 

 sally admitted to possess astonishing powers of endur- 

 ance under light weight at high speed, is rarel}^ fifteen 

 hands high. Of those horses that have distinguished 

 themselves as trotters, a very large majority of them 

 have been under fifteen and a-half hands high. " Fanny 



