EYES. 177 



sustained only for a comparatively brief space of time. 

 Almost all horses which are not prevented therefrom by 

 disease, malformation or accident, have the ability to direct 

 their ears forward in the manner mentioned, but do so only 

 when their attention is attracted to something in front of them. 

 The same may be said of donkeys, mules and zebras {see 

 Pis. 29 and 2)7)- It is true that some horses " prick their 

 ears " more frequently than others ; but, for all that, such 

 carriage of the ears can be regarded as but a momentary 

 lighting-up of the face, and not as an intrinsic beauty. I 

 may add that if a horse habitually carries his ears more or 

 less directed behind him, we might suspect him to be 

 wanting in courage and good temper. This is by no means 

 an invariable rule ; for I have met with some notable 

 exceptions. 



M. Richard remarks that deaf horses carry their ears 

 steadily pointed in the direction the horse is looking, with- 

 out side "play." Such animals are generally docile and 

 attentive to the indications received from the rein and leg. 



A horse is said to have lop-ears when they are set on 

 in a loose and somewhat pendulous manner. I have not 

 observed that lop-eared horses are less clever than those 

 whose ears are carried more uprightly. 



Eyes. — The eye should be clear and Iree from tears, 

 the pupil black, and the eyelids thin and comparatively 

 free from wrinkles. A small eye {see PI. 23) in the horse 

 is called a "pig-eye," and is generally considered to 

 denote a disposition that is either sulky or wanting in 

 courage. In this photograph, the straight shoulder, ewe 

 neck, Roman nose, and pig-eye point to the plebeian origin 



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