172 THE TRUNK. 



the fore legs for saddle work. Fig. 274 is a front view of a 

 well-shaped race-horse which is of ordinary width between 

 the fore legs. Sections of the chests of the horses shown in 

 Figs. 277 and 279 are given in Fig. 286. 



Back and Loins. — The upper line of these parts should, 

 for beauty, run in a straight line, or with the slightest possible 

 rise, to the croup (Figs. 9, 327, 331, 334 and 344). When 

 the animal has a ''roach-back" (Fig. 280) — that is, when 

 this line is decidedly convex — the muscle which runs along 

 the top of the back, and which has a powerful action on all 

 the paces of the horse, will be found wanting in develop- 

 ment, and the chest will, as a rule, be flat-sided. This con- 

 dition of back, from the fact of its assuming, to some extent, 

 the form of an arch^ is generally supposed to be advantageous 

 for carrying heavy burdens, as in the case of baggage animals. 

 I am not, however, able to furnish any actual proof that such 

 is the case. A *' hollow-backed " or ''saddle-backed" horse, 

 on the contrary, is one which has this line concave, on 

 account of the arrangement of the vertebrae of the part. It 

 is frequently the result of relaxation of the ligaments which 

 bind the vertebrae together, owing to the effects of hard work 

 and debility. Thus, we may often see a horse, which in his 

 youth had a straight back, become hollow-backed in his old 

 age (Fig. 52). From the different position assumed by man 

 when moving, the opposite to this occurs to ourselves. An 

 appearance of hollow-back (Fig. 256) may be given by unusually 

 large development of that part {posterior iliac spine, Fig. 1 2) 

 of the pelvis which forms the highest point of the croup. 

 I have also observed — especially among Arab ponies — the 

 same kind of conformation arise from the pelvis being set up 

 particularly high in animals which were low in front. No 

 fault can be found with an apparently hollow back produced 

 by the putting-on of the pelvis. 



Without any exception, the loins and back, at the region 

 of the cantle of the saddle, should be as flat and broad as 

 possible ; for this condition indicates the presence of powerful 



