232 CONDITION, AND GOOD LOOKS, 



identical in every particular, except in that of the ears. The 

 ''line of beauty" (alternate convexity and concavity, or vice 

 versd) is well exemplified from the tip of the off ear to the 

 top of the croup, in Fig. 371 ; in which there is, however, a 

 too sudden depression of the quarter. The outlines of the 

 tail are very graceful in Fig. 370. The curves from tip of 

 ear to end of tail are also good in Fig. 236, except that the 

 line of the crest might be slightly more convex. For beautiful 

 curves of the upper line of the body, from tip of nose to tail, 

 see Figs. 234, 324, 327, 328, 334, 346, and 356. One reason 

 (which possibly might escape the notice of a casual observer) 

 why the pictures or photographs of some horses (Figs. 270, 

 322, and 370) look well, is that the curves of the under 

 part of the body — from muzzle, lower lip, along lower jaw, 

 under throat, down neck, in front of chest, along the belly, 

 under groin, and carried in front of both hind legs — are very 

 graceful. In all cases, oblique shoulders, sloping pasterns, 

 long and well-arched back ribs, muscular loins, more or less 

 horizontal pelvis, tail set high up, straight-dropped hind leg, 

 will be beauties. 



As heavy cart-horses are often somewhat ''back at the 

 knees" (p. 194), the presence of a good supply of fine hair 

 behind the back tendons, increasing in amount from the 

 knee to the fetlock, will balance this concavity. I do not 

 think that docking, except when it is done to remove an 

 unsightly "kink," ever improves the appearance of a horse, 

 from an artistic point of view. The removal of the forelock, 

 when hogging the mane, is always an eyesore. Whenever 

 ^,^ looks are sought to be studied, the mane should not be 

 hogged, if the animal has a light neck. As a horse is looked 

 at more frequently from the near than from the ofF-side ; his 

 mane, as a rule, should fall to the off-side. 



Under this heading we must also put good carriage of 

 the head and tail, and true and showy action. For carriage 

 of the head and neck, see p. 6jj et seq. The tail during move- 

 ment should be held well out, with the hairs falling from it 

 in graceful curves. To look well, the limbs should work in 



