264 WEIGHT-CARRYING AND STAYING POWER. 



and ability to endure fatigue. For instance, East Indian 

 ponies, though often very fast for a short distance, are 

 notoriously bad stayers ; and yet they are wonderfully good 

 animals on a long journey. Thus, many of them which are 

 incapable of "getting" beyond three furlongs in a race, would, 

 if harnessed to an ecka {see PI. 8) do, comfortably, 70 or 

 80 miles from sunrise to sunset, with the thermometer at 

 noon up to 110° F. or more, in the shade. Here the lack of 

 staying-power would be due to the organs of breathing being 

 unable to continue work under high pressure. As might be 

 expected, these " country-bred " ponies (see PI. 34) are, 

 as a rule, light behind the girth, flat-sided, and badly ribbed 

 up. With thin necks and light shoulders, their good legs and 

 feet have but little weight to carry ; and as the quality of 

 their tissues is of the best, and their spirit undeniable, they 

 can go marvellously long distances without getting knocked 

 up — provided always that they are not over-paced or over- 

 weighted. I need hardly say that a genuine stayer will also 

 be capable of appearing to advantage in a " go-as-you-please " 

 task ; for he will possess all the good points of the other, 

 with better organs of breathing. The small amount of extra 

 weight (on account of increased length of rib) which he 

 will have to carry, will be more than compensated by the 

 larger space allowed for his digestive organs. As a rule, in 

 proportion to their respective sizes, small horses will stay 

 better, and will be capable of enduring more fatigue, than big 

 horses. The reason for this appears to be that the former 

 have more vitality than the latter, on account of the rate of 

 the circulation of their blood being quicker. 



I need not point out the advantages of good action in the 

 present connection. 



