THE HIND LEGS. SI 



individual, and } r et " bad" of their kind. The quarters of the 

 thorough-bred may possess the due length and straightness, but 

 may be wanting in defined boldness of project ure, and be deficient, 

 in muscularity, thereby flat and lank and powerless. 



Again,- the quarters of the cart-horse may be characteristically 

 short in their various dimensions, but may prove defective in bulk 

 and plumpness. The length of the loins must a good deal influence 

 the make of the hind quarters : shortness and compactness in the 

 one would ill consort, both in appearance and action, with lengthi- 

 ness and elasticity in the other; and it is not often that we observe 

 any disagreement in this respect. 



We meet, every now and then, with horses whom we admire in 

 every respect save that they " fall off" or are " plain" in their 

 quarters. The rump is small and altogether out of proportion to 

 other parts, or it is one of a " drooping" character ; or else, from 

 disproportionate breadth and squareness, and great prominence of 

 the hips, the quarters assume an ugly " ragged" appearance. These 

 broad and ragged quarters, providing the thighs and hocks are of 

 strong make, in general possess great efficiency in action. Many 

 of our best trotters, such as are known to be capable in this line of 

 feats both of strength and action, will be found to have quarters of 

 this description with extraordinary development of power in their 

 thighs and hocks. A horse can hardly be made worse in these 

 parts than to possess an extended narrow loin, rising in a line, 

 rather concave than otherwise, from a dip in the back to the sum- 

 mit of the rump, with buttocks drooping from this elevation, having 

 flat or hollow surfaces, and yet being lengthy in their dimensions, 

 with a tail set on as low down as it is possible for it to be. Such 

 a horse will be light-carcassed, tucked up in the flanks after work, 

 and, from want of power in his propelling agents, prove incapable 

 of " carrying weight" or " getting through dirt," or of dragging 

 any thing in the shape of a load. 



The hind quarters being the agents of propulsion of the machine 

 in action, durst we attempt to consider them apart from the fore 

 limbs, or to institute any comparison between the two, we should 

 certainly rank them in the highest place in our estimation ; i. e., for 

 all purposes of work, a horse with " good" hind quarters and " bad" 

 fore quarters ought, undoubtedly, to be preferred to one with the 



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