<,H. XXVI II.] His speed and Paces. 249 



upper limb longer in proportion than in the Englisli 

 racehorse. The liocks arc larger, better let down, 

 and not so straight. The cannon bone is shorter. 

 The legs are strong, but with less bone in pro})ortion 

 than back sinew. This last is perhaps the finest 

 point of the Arabian, in whom a " breakdown " 

 seldom or never occurs. The bones of the pastern 

 joints are fine, sometimes too fine for strength, and 

 the pastern itself is long even to weakness. Its 

 length is a point much regarded by the Arabs as a 

 sign of sjoeed. The hoofs are round and large, and 

 very hard, though, from the barbarous method of 

 shoeing and paring of the foot practised by the 

 desert blacksmiths, a strano-er midit doubt this. 

 The toe is often cut ludicrously short, out of 

 economy, to save frequent shoeing. 



The only defect of the Arabian as a racehorse, 

 compared witli our owm, is his small size. Inch for 

 inch there can be no question which is the faster horse. 



It is commonly said in England that the Arabian 

 has but one pace, the gallop ; nnd in a certain sense 

 this is true. Trotting is discouraged by the Bedouin 

 colt-breakers, who, riding on an almost impossible 

 pad, and without stirrups, find that pace inconvenient. 

 But with a little patience, the deficiency can easily 

 be remedied, and good shoulder action given. No 

 pure bred Arabian however is a high stej)per. His 

 style of galloping is long and low, the counterpart 

 of our Enoiish thorouo-hbred's. He is a careless but 

 by no means a bad or dangerous walker. It is con- 



