THE THIGH, OR GASKIN. 91 



ance with the harmony of natural formations, where the haunches 

 are straight and lengthy the thighs become lengthy and receding : 

 in horsemen's phraseology, they are well "let down;" and the 

 consequence is, the hocks are low, and the cannons short. The 

 hind quarter, in fact, altogether, has the turn and appearance of 

 the greyhound, and is evidently well adapted for purposes of speed. 

 And, providing all this be accompanied by the requisite substance 

 or muscularity of parts, a quarter of such a character in a race- 

 horse must be regarded as one of his very finest and most admira- 

 ble points. This, in fact, it is that constitutes the veritable blood 

 quarter — the quarter every man who is seeking after breeding and 

 speed is ever looking for. And when found with "the thighs let 

 down into the hocks," or, in other words, with muscle and sinew 

 from upper end to lower, nothing can surpass it for speed in the 

 gallop and bottom in continuing it. 



I have observed that length and obliquity of thigh are, com- 

 monly, correspondent formations ; but they are not necessarily so : 

 we now and then meet with thorough-bred horses with straight 

 and lengthy quarters, and extreme length of thigh, and yet the 

 thigh is so straight that its line of descent approaches even the 

 perpendicular. I remember a racer — " Wouvermans" — who was 

 most remarkably straight and lengthy in his gaskins, and yet he 

 performed with considerable eclat. In these cases, length of thigh 

 affords great stride, and muscularity tells in maintaining it ; but 

 in the absence of obliquity it is impossible there can be that spring 

 or elasticity in the movements which is likewise a great promoter 

 of speed, and which must ever tend to render the production of 

 speed less expensive to the animal machine. Some greyhounds 

 are very straight-thighed ; but hares and rabbits, and many other 

 animals of great speed, possess extreme obliquity, as well as length, 

 in the conformation of their hind limbs. It may be that the 

 oblique hind quarters are the most suitable for efforts of bounding 

 or leaping ; and that, as such, they are of more value in hunters 

 than in racers. 



