268 BL 00 D, S YMME TRY A ND CO MP ENS A TIONS. 



pare PI. 56 (which represents a typical weed) with the 

 Frontispiece, we shall see that the mare in the former was 

 actually "longer" and "lower" (taking the proportion 

 between her height at the withers, and her length of body), 

 than the deep-ribbed and strongly "coupled" Ormonde. It 

 is evident that no amount of shortening of her legs could 

 improve her conformation. 



Compensations. — The points which I shall consider 

 under this heading have special reference to the saddle-horse 

 and light trapper : — 



^^ Plainness'' of head will be best "carried off" by a 

 " kind," intelligent expression of face ; quick play of the ears, 

 which will do well to be small ; good carriage of the head ; 

 and graceful setting-on of the head with the neck. The size 

 of the latter should conform to that of the former. 



Undue lightness of neck. — Full mane ; light head, small 

 ears, sloping and flat shoulders. 



Heavy neck and loaded shoulders may be corrected to 

 some extent, from a beauty point of view, by a good-looking, 

 intelligent head, nice crest, and light mane. From consider- 

 ations of utility, we should have the shoulders and pasterns 

 sloping ; the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the 

 fore limb below the shoulder strong ; feet good ; and loins and 

 hind quarters powerful. 



Fore legs below the elbows too light ; Pasterns too upright, 

 or too oblique. — Legs otherwise well-shaped ; light forehand ; 

 sloping shoulders ; and good loins. 



" Calf knees',' or " over at the knees'' — Strength of leg below 

 the elbow ; parallelism of back tendons with cannon-bones 

 {see p. 218) ; sloping shoulders ; light forehand ; strong loins. 



