THE HIXD -QUARTERS. 99 



THE HIND-aUARTERS. 



It is often said regarding the horse, " If his fore-quar- 

 ters are good, the hind-quarters -vNill be sure to follow 

 them." This is a remark to which I cannot altogether 

 assent. It veiy properly places a high value on the 

 perfection of the fore-quarters ; but it does not follow 

 from this that the hind-quarters are to be overlooked 

 or undervalued. The horse which drags his hind-legs 

 after him will be good for nothing ; he is of no use on 

 the course, in the field, or on the road ; and his capa- 

 bilities in the cart will be verj limited. He will 

 always be abroad in his gallop ; and his hind-legs will 

 be drawn along in the same way as if he*had received 

 an injury in his spine. The man who would attempt 

 to ride him over a five-baiTcd gate would require to 

 have his life insm-ed. His action will be weighty, 

 sluggish, and disagi'eeable. Not so, however, with the 

 horse whose hind-legs are so placed that he can gather 

 them close under him in the trot or gallop — in such a 

 manner that he can pitch off with freedom, making 

 use of the fore-limbs solely for the pui'pose of receiving 

 the weight of the body, which is propelled onwards by 

 the action of the hind-quarters. A horse of this de- 

 scription will go beautifully, and with a freedom and 

 ease which cannot fail to strike the attention of the 

 observer. He will be light and corky in his action, 

 and leaping Avill give him no trouble. 



