THE PELVIS. 233 



I need hardly point out that the pelvis is more upright 

 when the animal is standing still, than when he is in move- 

 ment ; and when he has no burden on his back, than when he 

 is mounted. Although I am aware that horses with drooping 

 quarters are not looked upon with disfavour in Irish hunting 

 fields ; I cannot help regarding this kind of conformation as a 

 serious defect in every class of horse which is required to go 

 faster than a slow trot. Its existence implies that the back- 

 ward sweep of the hind leg is proportionately curtailed, and 

 consequently the compass of the stride is more or less 

 cramped. Also, on account of the point of the buttock being 

 depressed, the muscles (the ischio tibial) which are attached 

 to it and to the head of the tibia, and which aid in the ex- 

 tension of the hip-joint, will be unduly shortened in length. 

 This condition, by bringing the hip-joint too far forward, is apt 

 to throw too much weight on the hocks and will thus be liable 

 to lead to injury of these joints. PL 36 shows that the hind 

 legs of the horse represented in it, bear an abnormal amount 

 of weight, as compared to the forehand. To have the point 

 of the buttock placed high and projecting well to the rear, 

 is a great beauty, which may be seen in some thorough- 

 breds and high-caste Arabs. I may state that this kind of 

 conformation is found in a high state of perfection in the 

 hare, in which animal the pelvis is not alone more or less 

 horizontally placed ; but the portion of it (the ischiiim) that 

 is behind the cavity in which the head of the hip-bone works, 

 is much longer in proportion to the remainder of the pelvis, 

 than it is in the horse. 



A horse with unusually drooping quarters, as in PI. 36, is 

 said to be "goose rumped." 



The prominence which some horses show in the middle of 



