8 LECTURES ON HORSKS. 



which must be founded our philosophy of its uses and operations. 

 Let us commence at the occiput or hind-head, and we shall find a 

 continued chain of bones, termed vertebra, extending from it, form- 

 ing the bone-work of the neck, and back, and loins, and tail : alto- 

 gether — comprehending its entire line — having something the figure 

 of a double 77 turned lengthwise and united, in this manner: — 



An artist would say, " Why this is precisely the superior outline 

 of a horse." We must regard it as the key-stone of the edifice — 

 the great bond of union of the two sides or halves into one whole. 

 It is the most important part of the structure. It is composed of 

 no less than thirty pieces, called vertebrce : — seven in the neck, 

 eighteen in the back, five in the loins, with the addition of the 

 croup and the tail ; and these are united one to another by an elas- 

 tic gristly substance, to the interposition of which is ascrib- 

 able that pliancy and flexibility which the spine — for so this chain 

 of bones is called — in the living animal is known pre-eminently 

 to possess. The sinking down of the back under the imposition 

 of weight at the time that the rider mounts — the spring)' and easy 

 seat the rider finds in the hollow or middle of the back, and the self- 

 adjusting power of the spine to the various inflexions of the body, 

 are all attributable to this property of elasticity which the vertebral 

 chain derives from its thirty gristly inter-layers. Supposing it had 

 been from beginning to end one undivided piece of bone, what would 

 have been the consequence 1 Why, that the animal could have 

 possessed no flexibility either in his neck, back, loins, or tail, and 

 must, therefore, have moved about upon his legs, stiff in all these 

 parts, as though he were affected with tetanus or locked-jaw. As 

 it is, there exists a little yielding, a very little, between every two 

 vertebrae; but this, multiplied by the number of the vertebra?, 



