192 THE TRUNK. 



of the muscles of the loins, the expression is not altogether 

 inappropriate. Some persons ignorantly think that it is an 

 advantage for a horse, as regards speed, to be a bit " slack in 

 the loins ; " because (so they say) such a shape allows the 

 animal more freedom in bringing his hind legs forward, than 

 if he were well ribbed up. I need hardly point out that the 

 form of a horse's back ribs cannot in any way affect the 

 action of his hind legs. This absurd notion was, no doubt, 

 started by some person who supposed that the hip joints were 

 at the points of the hips ! Owing to sexual causes, mares, as 

 a rule, are not so well ribbed up as horses. Hence, some 

 slight slackness in the hollow of the flank is not such a grave 

 fault in them as in entires and geldings. The fact, however, 

 remains, that for all purposes of work, a horse or mare cannot 

 be too well ribbed up. 



M. Merche remarks that : " Among common horses, the 

 last rib is less arched and less carried back than among blood 

 horses ; and the flank consequently appears longer," 



St. Simon, among many other great race-horses, was an 

 instance of a fine stayer, who possessed singularly little depth 

 at the withers, but had great roundness of chest behind the 

 girth, and also fair depth of body at the lowest point of his 

 back. It is essential for the race-horse to obtain good 

 breathing power by roundness of ribs, so that his body may 

 have its powers of breathing fully developed without its 

 length being unduly increased. 



The great advantage of depth in the front portion of the 

 chest is to allow of good length of shoulder blade, which is 

 indispensable to the weight-carrier and jumper. 



Abdomen. — We have seen on p. 45 that the centre 



