Ixxxiv INTRODUCTION. 



or a quick gallop. Such horses are familiarly said to be 

 light in the carcass, to stand high in the legs, and so forth. 



A section of the chest of the horse, at its commencement 

 at the breast, approaches to an oval form, and, proceeding 

 from the first rib backwards, it enlarges in capacity in both 

 directions. This progressive enlargement should go on to 

 behind the shoulders, where the depth, and consequently the 

 girth, should be relatively large. This conformation shews 

 that there is due space for the action of the respiratory or- 

 gans ; and, it may be said, that no horse will be found pos- 

 sessed of health and endurance without a sufficient depth of 

 chest. 



But an enlargement of the chest may take place by means 

 of increase in width as well as in depth When, how- 

 ever, the chest approaches too much to the circular at the 

 breast and shoulders, it deviates from the form adapted to 

 speed and action. A cart-horse may possess a circular 

 breast, and this class of horses have always more or less of 

 this character ; but we desire to see the chest deep as well 

 as broad. If the breast be very wide, the fore-limbs will be 

 placed far asunder. But this is a disposition of parts which, 

 though fitted for physical force, is not so for speed, and the 

 power of active motion. Independently of the too great 

 weight before the limbs, which renders the horse too heavy 

 before, the further evil results, that a straddling motion is 

 communicated to the animal in the gallop, which is alto- 

 gether unfavourable to the exeVcise of this movement. The 

 fore-limbs, therefore, must not be too far asunder, by the ex- 

 tension of the chest in width at the breast. In other quad- 

 rupeds possessed of great powers of speed, we invariably 

 find that the fore-limbs are somewhat close together, as in 

 the case of the greyhound as compared with the mastiff 

 amongst dogs, and in the case of the deer as compared 

 with the sheep amongst ruminating animals ; but yet a 

 certain lateral expansion of chest is connected with physi- 



