10 INTRODUCTION. 



as the setting-on of the horse's head— and this de- 

 pends as much upon the width of the channel, as upon 

 the form of the neck. 



The Neck.— On the shape of the neck I need not 

 say much: it should be proportionate to the body; 

 neither too long nor too short. Plenty of muscle, 

 nevertheless, should always be found at the base of 

 the neck ; otherwise there will be a looseness in the 

 part disagreeable to the rider. An ewe-necked horse 

 is an unpleasant goer ; for there cannot be that curve 

 formed between the head and the neck on which the 

 management of the mouth essentially depends. 



The Chest. — Although many horsemen too care- 

 lessly regard the chest in their examination of the 

 horse, it is by far the most important part about the 

 animal, for it contains most of the vital organs. 

 There are two main things to be considered about the 

 chest of the horse. In the first place it must be capa- 

 cious. The size of the chest portrays the dimensions 

 of the lungs. Big lungs will allow all the blood to 

 be easily oxygenated, and thus enable the horse to 

 live through a struggle which would more than inca- 

 pacitate his narrow-chested competitor. 



There is, however, a point connected with this sub- 

 ject which is frequently overlooked — the form of the 

 chest. We want the chest to accommodate itself to 

 the different degrees of exertion. It has not only to 

 prepare and circulate sufficient blood, but has to 

 do this when the energy is exhausted by rapid mo- 

 tion. Therefore we must have a deep as well as a 

 wide chest. A circular chest can never change its 

 form so as to make it contain more than its passive 



