52 THE RACE-HORSE. 



of which is most important in the race-horse. It 

 should be large and lean, and the point of it pro- 

 jecting behind the body, which greatly increases 

 the power of the lever in action, as will presently 

 be most satisfactorily shown. 



The medium height, about fifteen hands two 

 inches, four inches to a hand, is the best for a 

 race-horse. As the long beam breaks by its own 

 weight, so large animals have rarely strength in 

 proportion to their size. In fact, if there were any 

 land animals larger than those we know, they 

 would hardly be able to move at all. On the Eng- 

 lish Turf, hov/ever, the very large horses that have 

 appeared at various periods of its existence, have, 

 with a very few exceptions, not been found so good 

 under high weights, as those of a medium height ; 

 and several instances are on record (Meteora, 

 Whalebone, Barker, Phantom, Lapdog, and others, 

 for example) of the best horse of his year being 

 very nearly the lowest. 



Action. — As amongst the Egyptians, the lion 

 was the hieroglyphic of strength, so was the horse 

 of agility ; and truly nothing displays it more ele- 

 gantly than he does, when gamboling in a state of 

 liberty. In the race-horse, action, as in eloquence, 

 is the next thing to substance ; and virtus in 

 actione, should be the horse-breeder's motto. But 

 the action of the race-horse is of a nature peculiar 

 to his calling. He must not only possess great 

 stride in his gallop, the result of just proportion in 

 his limbs and moving levers, but also a quickness 



