8 



THE HORSE. 



Other parts of the body. The lymphatic is indicated by 

 large abdominal viscera, and a peculiar disposition to 

 lay on a quantity of fat. The flesh is soft, and the 

 animal is languid, indolent, and sluggish in all its 

 actions. 



These, then, are the leading peculiarities of the four 

 temperaments. They will be foimd in very different 

 degrees of development in the different breeds of horses, 

 and also in different horses of the same breed. The 

 relative proportion in which they exist will have a 

 marked effect upon the peculiar fitness of the anunal to 

 the purpose for which he is designed. Any person who 

 takes the trouble of reflecting will easily see the cor- 

 rectness of this observation ; and he will also be able 

 to judge which of the temperaments should predomi- 

 nate in an animal intended for any specific purpose. 

 They should all exist, more or less, in the same animal ; 

 but the exact balance in which they may be found is a 

 matter of ovei*whelming importance. For example, 

 activity, speed, and dm-ability, are essentially connected 

 ^vith ihQ nervous, bilious, and sanguine temperaments ; 

 and therefore these temperaments are indispensable in 

 the racer, hunter, and roadster. If the nervous predo- 

 minates, he might possess gTeat speed, but he will be 

 fit only for short distances ; whereas, if the bilious oc- 

 cupies the chief place, his peculiar forte will be distance, 

 or bottom. On the other hand, the l}Tnphatic, bilious, 

 and sanguine are more particularly adapted to horses 



