250 The American Thoroughbred 



but strongly arched and supported by fillets 

 of tremendous strength and power. She had 

 great excellence in the muscular development 

 of her quarters, thighs, and gaskins. 



As in the greyhound and the hare, the seat 

 of the propelling power in the horse which 

 enables him to move with a great degree of 

 velocity is centred in his hind quarters. Neces- 

 sarily, in proportion to the strength there will be 

 the impulse which impels the whole mass forward. 



Fashion's color was rich and her coat was 

 naturally of the smoothest texture. She travelled, 

 when at speed, with a long, rating stroke, from 

 which she gathered well and with great apparent 

 ease to herself. While she was an animal of con- 

 siderable fire, it was singular that she could be 

 brought to her highest turn of speed with a loose 

 rein. The modern system of riding, which says 

 that a boy must always have his horse's head 

 well in hand, would have suited Fashion not at 

 all, and she would have run very unkindly for 

 the lad who should have tried to " keep her 

 head up," as they say. 



She early evinced this peculiarity, and, as the 

 same boy rode her in all of her races, he thor- 

 oughly understood what to do with her in the 



