428 THE HORSE. 



well-known stoutness, as well as that of his kith and kin, verifies 

 the opinion. 



The body, or middle-piece, should be moderately long, and 

 not too much confined between the last rib and the hip-bone. 

 So long as the last or back-ribs are deep, it is not of so much 

 importance that tliey should be closely connected to the hip- 

 bone, for such a shape shortens the stride ; and though it enables 

 the horse to carry great weight, yet it prevents liim from attain- 

 ing a high rate of speed. The l)ack itself should be muscular, 

 and the hips so wide as to allow of a good development of the 

 muscular department. The withers may rise gently, but not 

 too high, witli that thin, razor-like elevation which many people 

 call a good shoulder, but which really has nothing to do with 

 that part, and is only an annoyance to the saddler, in prevent- 

 ing its being pinched b}'^ the saddle. The chest itself should 

 be well developed, but not too wide and deep ; no horse can go 

 a distance without a fair " bellows- room ;" but, supposing the 

 heart to be sound and of good quality, the amount of lung will 

 suffice wliich may be contained in a medium-sized chest, and all 

 above that is wasted, and is extra weight. Many of our best 

 winded horses have liad medium-sized chests, and some of the 

 very worst have been furjiished with room enough for a pair of 

 bhicksmith's bellows to play in. If the heart only does its duty 

 Avell, the lungs can always furnish sufficient air ; and we know 

 that when frequently, renewed, and with sufficient power, tlie 

 blood is aerated as fast as it is propelled, and the chief difficulty 

 lies in this power of propulsion, which resides in the heart alone. 

 If the chest be too wide, it materially affects the action of the 

 fore-legs, and therefore in every point of view, theoi-etically and 

 practically, there is a happy medium between the too great con- 

 traction in this department, and the heavy, wide, lumbering 

 chests, sometimes seen even in the thoroughbred race-horse, 

 especially when reared upon rich succulent lierbage, more fitted 

 for the bullock than the eastern horse. In the formation of the 

 hips, the essential point is length and breadth of bone for mus- 

 cular attachment, and it matters little whether the croup droops 

 a little, or is pretty straight and level, so that there is a good 

 length from the hip to the haunch-bone ; the line between which 

 two points may either be nearly horizontal, or forming a con- 



