16 THE HORSE 



attachment of muscles and to ensure plenty of 

 space for the important organs which lie beneath 

 them. All classes of horses should be "well 

 ribbed up," by which term length and a backward 

 direction of the back ribs is understood. Short- 

 ness of the back ribs is a worse fault in a saddle 

 than in a harness horse, but it is very undeshable 

 in any animal, as it indicates inability to " sta}''." 

 In horses in hard condition a badly ribbed-up con- 

 formation will be evidenced by the " tucked up " 

 appearance of the individual. The straighter and 

 more parallel the lower line of the body is with the 

 gi^ound, the greater will be the ability of the horse 

 to stand prolonged exertion, and a buyer should 

 always look for a good depth of body at a line 

 dropped vertically fi^om the lowest part of the 

 back (behind the withers) to behind the girth place. 

 A good spring of ribs is essential to all horses, al- 

 though flatness may be sometimes compensated for 

 in a harness horse by extra depth. 



Htkd Quaeters 

 The most successful race-horses have usually 

 been somewhat narrow behind ; but this point is 

 not desirable in any other variety of horse. Ob- 

 viously a horse which has to hold back a vehicle, 



