COMMON HORSE» 



425 



of his frame, so far as regarded his powers of 

 swiftness, was ahnost perfect. 



As it may be some satisfaction to the reader to 

 be made acquainted with the general proportions 

 of this extraordinary courser, I shall here extract 

 a part of Mons. SainbeFs observations on the 

 subject. 



The horses of different countries are, in ge- 

 neral, distinguished from each other by a peculiar 

 appropriate conformation. The Spanish horse 

 differs materially in his outward appearance from 

 the English Race-horse. The difference, in the 

 length and direction of the parts of which each is 

 composed, produces in each a system from whose 

 mechanical arrangement result motions very un- 

 equal in their extent. The Spanish horse cadences 

 his steps with dignity, while the English horse 

 drives his mass forward with strength and speed. 

 This difference, which proceeds from the peculiar 

 conformation of each, contradicts, in some parti- 

 culars, the table of geometrical proportions in the 

 use of the pupils of the veterinary schools of 

 France. It proves that no common measure can 

 be made to apply equally to every species, since 

 Nature has even diversified the forms of the indi- 

 viduals which compose it. If each species has its 

 own style of beauty ; if even each individual has 

 its peculiar beauty ; if it is not possible to find 

 two horses that perfectly resemble each other, we 

 cannot pretend to assign any one form preferably 

 to another as the rule of beauty for the Horse. 



