FORM. 93 



There is, however, a limit to this. In proportion 

 to the length of this bone, must be the space which 

 it passes over, in order sufficiently to bend the 

 limb ; and in that proportion must be the contrac- 

 tion of the muscle, and consequently the length of 

 the muscle, that it may be enabled thus to con- 

 tract ; and, therefore, if this bone were inordinately 

 lengthened, there would require a depth of quarter 

 which would amount to deformity. A hock of this 

 advantageous length is, however, rarely or never 

 met with, and it is received among the golden rules 

 in judging of the horse, that this bone of the hock 

 cannot be too long."'* 



Hunters which carry very heavy men cannot 

 excel in the field, unless they exhibit those just 

 proportions in their limbs, and all the moving levers, 

 necessary to produce full liberty of action, but not 

 too long a stride. Well placed hinder-legs, with 

 wide hips, well spread gaskins, and great depth of 

 chest, are essentials, together with as much of the 

 ms a tergo, as is consistent with a not unsightly 

 back, commonly called " a hog-back." Well knit 

 joints, short cannon bone, moderately oblique pas- 

 terns, with rather large feet, are not only points 

 from which great physical powers may be expected, 

 but they are necessary to the duration of them in 

 the horse we are now alluding to. As, however, it 

 is an axiom in the animal creation, that the parts 

 which add to strength diminish swiftness, hunters 

 to carry more than sixteen stones well with hounds, 



* Library of Useful Knowledge, Farmers' Series, " The Horse," 

 p. 272. 



