BREEDING. 15 



just as a (luck takes to water, and in a short time it 

 apparently becomes tbe chief phnisure to look for- 

 ward to, in the course of his daily, though otherwise 

 monotonous, life. There should be no training es- 

 tablishment without this provision attached to it, 

 and, as a matter of fact, no hunting establishment 

 either. 



In the purchase of thoroughbred stock for rac- 

 ing purposes, buyers should be forewarned not to 

 make selection of any lacking "spinal" development. 

 It is not sufficient that appearances indicate a good 

 back and loins. Care should be taken to see, as 

 with many horses, that the spinal strength does not 

 end at the root of the tail, followed on by a weak 

 and only partially developed dock. To be perfect in 

 back or spinal structure, the bone should not only be 

 massive and in due proportion with the rest of the 

 frame, but the strength and power it imparts should 

 be found to be carried throughout the dock itself. 

 A powerful and well developed dock is a tolerably 

 sure sign that a horse has a strong and well-devel- 

 oped back. I have known, however, a horse to l^e 

 extremely strong in its dock, and not overdeveloped 

 in point of strength in the back, but in my experi- 

 ence such cases- are rare. 



