COLOR. 4.31 



tained that the muscles of the two limbs meet together below 

 the anns, which should be in fact well supported bj them, and 

 not left loose, and, as it were, in a deep and flaccid hollow. The 

 outline of the outer part of the thigh should be full, and in 

 ordinary horses the muscle should swell out beyond the level of 

 the point of the hip. Tliis fulness, however, is not often seen 

 to this extent in the thoroughbred horse until he has arrived at 

 mature age, and is taken out of training. The bones below the 

 hock should be flat and free from adhesions ; the ligaments and 

 tendons fully developed, and standing out free from the bone ; 

 and the joints well formed and wide, yet without any diseased 

 enlargement ; the pasterns should be moderately long and 

 oblique ; the bones of good size ; and, lastly, the feet should 

 correspond with those already alluded to in the anterior ex- 

 tremity. 



The totality of these points should be in proportion to one 

 another— that is to say, the formation of the horse should be 

 " true." He should not have long, well-developed hind-quarters, 

 with an upright, weak, or confined fore-quarter. Nor will the 

 converse serve ; for however well formed the shoulder may be, 

 the horse will not go well unless he has a similar formation in 

 the propellers. It is of great importance, therefore, that the 

 race-horse sliould have all his various points in true relative 

 development, and that there shall not be the hind-quarter of a 

 long, racing-like horse, Avith the thick, confined shoulder which 

 would suit a stride less reaching in its nature. 



The color of the thoroughbred horse is now generally bay, 

 brown, or chestnut, one or other of which will occur in ninety- 

 nine cases out of a hundred. Gray is not common, but some- 

 times appears, as in the recent case of Chanticleer and some of 

 his stock. Black also occasionally makes its appearance, but 

 not more frequently than gray. Eoans, duns, sorrels, &c., are 

 now quite exploded, and the above five colors may be said to 

 complete the list of colors seen on the race-course. Sometimes 

 these colors are mixed with a good deal of white, in the shape 

 of blazes on the face, or white legs and feet ; or even both may 

 occur, and the horse may have little more than his body of a 

 brown, bay, or chestnut. Most people, however, prefer the self- 

 color, with as- little white as possible ; and nothing but the great 



