CHOICE OF THE MAKE. 281 



which is particularly unfit for breeding purposes, and yet which 

 is sometimes carefully selected, because it is considered elegant; 

 this is the level and straight hip, in which the tail is set on very 

 high, and the end of the haunch-bone is nearly on a level with 

 the projection of the hip-bone. The opposite form is represented 

 in the skeleton given with the article " Horse," which is that of 

 a thoroughbred mare, well formed for this breeding purpose, 

 but in other respects rather too slight. By examining her pelvis, 

 it will be seen that the haunch-bone forms a considerable angle 

 with the sacrum, and that, as a consequence, there is plenty of 

 room, not only for carrying the foal, but for allowing it to pass 

 into the world. Both of these points are important, the former 

 evidently so, and the latter no less so on consideration, because 

 if the foal is injured in the birth, either of necessity, or from ig- 

 norance or carelessness, it will often fail to recover its powers, 

 and will remain permanently injured. The pelvis, then, should 

 be wide and deep— that is to say, it should be large and roomy ; 

 and there should also be a little more than the average length 

 from the hip to the shoulder, so as to give plenty of bed for 

 the foal ; as well as a good depth of back-ribs, which are neces- 

 sary in order to support this increased length. Tliis gives the 

 whole framework of the trunk of a larger proportion than is 

 always desirable in the race-horse, which may easily be over- 

 topped; and hence many good runners have failed as brood 

 mares, whilst a great number of bad runners have been dams of 

 good race-horses. Beyond this roomy frame, necessary as the 

 eggshell of the foal, the mare only requires such a shape and 

 make as is well adapted for the particular purpose she is in- 

 tended for ; or if not possessing it herself, she should belong to 

 a family having it, according to the 13th axiom given in the last 

 chapter. If a mare can be obtained possessing all these requi- 

 sites in her own person, so much the more likely will she be to 

 produce race-horses; but if not all, then it is better that she 

 should add as many as possible to the needful framework, with- 

 out which her ofiice can hardly be well carried out. But with 

 this suitable frame, if she belongs to a family which, as a rule, 

 possesses all the attributes of a race-horse, she may be relied on 

 with some degree of certainty, even though she herself should 

 fail in some of them. Thus, there are many fine roomy mares 



