SLOPE OF SHOULDER. 209 



I have ever seen was St. Simon (see PL 7), whose photo- 

 graph, I regret to say, does not show this point properly, 

 as it is a Httle foreshortened. The Hnes of his shoulder 

 are correctly shown in PI. 18, which is a reproduction 

 of a painting made from a photograph that was too badly 

 done to bear reproduction. As this illustration gives his exact 

 outline taken in strict profile, it is valuable for comparison ; 

 although much of the detail which would have been given in 

 a good photograph is, naturally, wanting. The Arab pony, 

 The Brat {see PI. 31), had singularly good, sloping 

 shoulders. The horses depicted in Pis. 15, 38 and 39 had 

 also the wished-for obliquity in this part. As instances of 

 straight shoulders, I may give Pis. 23, 36 and 48. Taking 

 into consideration everything I have written in the present 

 book on this point, I think we may accept the conclusion that 

 obliquity of shoulder is a desirable point in every kind of 

 horse, except perhaps in heavy draught animals which are 

 not required to go out of a walk. If they have at times to 

 exceed this pace, as dray horses have to do in London, they 

 should undoubtedly have sloping shoulders, so that their legs 

 may be preserved as much as possible from the injurious 

 effects of concussion. 



The thickness of the muscles about the shoulders should be 

 proportionate to the amount of strength which the animal 

 may be called upon to display. We may judge it by the 

 thickness of the withers, by the width between the fore legs, 

 by the degree of definition of the muscles which cover the 

 shoulder-blade, and by the amount of depression there is 

 immediately in front of the shoulder-blade where it joins the 

 neck. This dip is well shown in Pis. 23 and 36, and would 

 have come out in PI. 19, had the light fallen on the part so 



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