WIDTH BETWEEN THE LEGS. 65 



be the mechanical disadvantage at which these muscles will work ; hence, a 

 short body is a desirable point in the race-horse and jumper. 



The combined working of oblique shoulders, well-sloped pasterns and 

 strong rearing muscles, by preventing the forehand going down at each 

 stride, aids in obtaining the much admired " level" action in the race-horse. 

 An animal which has a long body, heavy shoulders, upright pasterns, and 

 weak loins (showing deficiency in the points just advocated), will, if he 

 be put to a gallop, go in an up-and-down style; because his rearing muscles 

 will be over-taxed by the weight of the forehand at the end of the long lever 

 made by his body, and because his fetlock joints will have deficient " play." 



I may remark that, although the loin muscles appear to be almost 

 quiescent during easy walking and gentle trotting, they may be observed to 

 act energetically in flexing and extending the loins when the animal is 

 leaping, galloping, and when his powers are taxed in drawing a heavy load. 

 Any one who has ridden races or gallops on speedy thoroughbreds, will know 

 from experience the immense power behind the saddle possessed by animals 

 of this class; for the rider cannot fail to feel the vigorous "lift" given by 

 the loins at each stride. 



It is a popular fallacy to imagine that the muscles over the loins are 

 propellers. They have no propelling power at all; for they are not con- 

 nected either with the thigh bone, or with any of the bones of the limb below 

 it ; their office in locomotion being merely to regulate the weight on the 

 forehand. I may mention that the muscles (those which constitute the under- 

 cut in a saddle of mutton, or in sirloin of beef) under the loins draw the thigh 

 forward. 



Width between each respective Pair of Legs as affecting 

 Speed. — Let us suppose that the rectangle abed {see Fig. 28) diagram- 

 matically represents the body of the horse ; that the fore limbs are placed 

 at the angles a and b ; that the hind limbs are at d and e ; and that 

 the centre of gravity is at c. AVere both fore legs and both hind legs to 

 act respectively at the same moment, we would have the centre of gravity 

 moved in a straight line, and in the direction in which the animal's body was 

 placed. In the amble {see p. loi), the propulsion is given through a and 

 d, and through b and e alternately, with the result, in the former case, 

 that the centre of gravity is displaced to the right, and in the latter to the 

 left. In the trot {see p. 97), the alternate strokes are through a and e, and 

 b and d. If these respective propulsions, in the trot, were equal to each 

 other, and if the centre of gravity were midway bet^veen the fore and hind 



