174 THE BROOD MARE. 



that she should be long, low, on short legs, 

 standing perfectly straight on her four feet, 

 and what is called "roomy" — that is, with 

 good barrel, well-sprung ribs, and plenty of 

 width across the loins. Bone also is essential, 

 but in the case of thoroughbreds less size of 

 bone is compensated by its superior quality. 

 As is well known to experienced horsemen, 

 the bone of the pure-bred horse is denser 

 and closer in substance than that of the 

 coarser-bred animal, more resembling ivory 

 in grain and texture. So well indeed is 

 this fact ascertained that bone-crushers have 

 affirmed that the machine works harder, 

 and they can tell by the sound of it when 

 the tibia or cannon bones of a thoroughbred 

 are passing through the mill. This does 

 not mean that we should not desire bone 

 in a thoroughbred, but that he can do with 

 less than we might be content Avith in a 

 horse of inferior breed. Any defect (and 

 few animals are equal in all their points) 



