POINTS OF THE HORSE. 21 



wliich cannot give way to the pressure of the bit is sure to become 

 dull in his mouth, and therefore unpleasant to ride or drive. The 

 eye is to be examined with a twofold purpose, firstly, as an index 

 of the temper, the nature of which is marked by the expression 

 of this organ ; and secondly, in reference to its present state of 

 soundness, and the probability of its continuing healthy. A full 

 and clear eye, with soft, gazelle-like expression, is scarcely ever 

 associated with a bad temper, and will most frequently continue 

 sound, if the management of the horse to which it belongs is 

 proper in itself. The ear should be of medium size, not too small, 

 nor too large, nor should it be lopped, though many good lop-eared 

 horses have been known, and some very superior breeds, like that 

 of the celebrated Melbourne, are notorious for this defect. 



The Neck should be of moderate length, all beyond a certain 

 dimension being waste, and even a moderate-sized head at the end 

 of an extremely long lever being too much for the muscles to sup- 

 port. It should come out full and muscular, with a sweep between 

 the withers and the bosom, and should gradually diminish till it 

 runs into the head, with an elegant bend just behind the ear. A 

 very narrow throat suddenly bent a*, the upper part, marked as the 

 thropple, is apt to be connected with roaring, and on that account 

 is objected to by horsemen. 



In the Fore-quarters, there are several points to be atten- 

 tively examined, and among these, the shoulder is regarded as of 

 most consequence, when the horse under consideration is intended 

 for the saddle. It is evident that, unless there is length of the 

 blade, and also of the true arm, there cannot be a full surface for 

 the attachment and play of the muscles, nor can there be the same 

 amount of spring to take off the jar which follows each footfall. 

 The straighter the angle formed by the long axis of each of these 

 bones, the less spring there will be. So, also, if the angle is not 

 sufficient, the muscles of the shoulder-blade will not thrust forward 

 the true arm, nor will the latter be sufficiently clothed with 

 muscles (without being loaded) to act on the fore-arm, commonly 

 known by the horseman as the arm. Hence it is found, that with 

 an upright shoulder, not only is the stride in all the paces short 

 and the action stumpy, but there is not that elastic movement 

 which enables the horse to carry his body along rapidly and evenly, 

 without rising alternately behind and before, and thereby jarring 

 himself or his rider. On the other hand, the upright shoulder, 

 loaded with a thick mass of muscles, is useful in the cart-horse, 

 and to a certain extent also, in the carriage-horse, in both of which 

 the pressure of the collar requires a steady and comparatively 

 motionless surface to bear it. The difference between the two 

 extremes of oblique and upright shoulders is well illustrated in 

 the accompanying woodcut, in which it will be seen that in the 



