50 THE RACE-HORSE. 



ly streno:thened, to answer the purposes and work 

 of animalization, that this earthy salt disappears. 



But to proceed with the form of a race-horse. 

 The race-horse should have length, but the length 

 should be in his shoulders and in the quarters ; 

 that is, the part posterior to the hips, and not in 

 his back. To give him that elegance of form for 

 which he is so conspicuous, there should be no acute 

 ans^le nor any straight line. His shoulders should 

 go into his neck at the points, unperceived^ and his 

 back should sink a little behind the withers, which 

 ogives his rider a good seat, and does not in the 

 least diminish his strength. On the contrary, 

 horses w^ith very straight backs are generally defi- 

 cient in their fore-quarters, as well as in their 

 action ; and we have known some very good racers 

 even what is termed hollow-backed. There should 

 be a little rise in the loins, just behind the saddle ; 

 but the race-horse should not be too closely ribbed 

 up. The ribs should stand out from the spine, 

 producing what is called a round barrel, together 

 with depth of carcass, a formation which not only 

 gives strength of body and constitution, but, by 

 admitting the intestines to be comfortably lodged 

 within the ribs, imparts freedom of breathing, ac- 

 tivity and beauty to the whole frame of the horse, 

 other parts being proportional. These useful points, 

 however, must not be carried to an extreme, or the 

 horse may be what is termed '' too heavy for his 

 legs ;'' and we know that lijxht-bodied horses save 

 their legs much in their gallops, which accounts 



