THE BUILD. 5 



the straightness of the spine here, causing a slanting 

 direction in the haunch and thigh-bones, enables the 

 muscles to act to the greatest advantage, and that it 

 is in the advantageous direction quite as much as the 

 bulk of the muscle that the propelling power lies. 

 Let that, therefore, be a sine-qua-non, that from the 

 end of the loins to the setting on of the tail the spine 

 must be straight, or nearly so, and it cannot be too 

 long. A broad quarter may carry weight, but it 

 must be long also to gallop, and the tail should be 

 carried out straight, and carried well (it does not re- 

 quire always to be carried high to be carried well, 

 but it requires to be well set on, that is, set on high 

 up). The tail of a blood Arab is likewise generally 

 thin, of small circumference, tapering to a very small 

 point, and the hair on it not too bushy. " Full mane, 

 if you like, but thin tail." Carrying it on one side 

 can be no sign of bad caste, although it certainly 

 looks ugly. 



The thigh should be as broad as the haunch-bones; 

 and as much as they swell out broader, they are better. 

 A horse that is ragged-hipped, it is said, is not objec- 

 tionable ; but by this is meant, that, notwithstanding 

 the great muscularity of the quarters and thighs, the 

 protuberances of the haunch-bones still project a lit- 

 tle wider ; and not from the quarters and thighs being 

 at all deficient in muscle, which is often also called 

 ragged-hipped, and makes the haunch-bones look a 

 little prominent.* Great thigh-muscle may recom- 



The side bones of the loins the transverse processes of the lumber ver- 

 tebraebeing short, are a cause of a horse being ragged-hipped ; and these 

 side bones being thus short, are also the cause of a horse being wall-sided ; 

 therefore it is that a wall-sided horse often looks ragged-hipped ; but a defi- 

 ciency of quarter and thigh-muscle, which causes the haunch-bones to stick 

 out a little, is much oftener called ragged-hipped. 



