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LECTURES ON HORSES. 
will in the field surpass all the cocktails*. Still, do the latter 
retain one advantage over the blood-horse : with their short and 
strengthy quarters, they commonly inherit powers of leaping, and 
cleverness in getting over awkward places, for which the long 
greyhound-like quarter of the racer seems ill adapted. The same 
remark may likewise be made in respect to the manege : horses 
with racing-like quarters never perform so cleverly with their 
haunches as others ; they have difficulty in getting their haunches 
under them, and from extreme elasticity, manifest “ weakness” in 
them, on which account thorough-breds rarely turn out accom- 
plished military chargers. We know that Irish hunters are pro- 
verbially good leapers : they are remarkable for their short, high- 
rumped, any thing but handsome, quarters : withal, however, they 
perform wonders in jumping, particularly in the hunting field, 
and this they are enabled to do from great breadth and shortness, 
combined with muscularity of the hind quarters. 
The cart or dray-horse, the cob, the hackney to carry weight, 
are all valued the more for their large, rotund, plump quarters. 
Lank or lengthy quarters, such as would be admired in a racer, 
are, in these horses, detractive from their worth and beauty ; as 
much, in fact, out of character, as round and full quarters would be 
upon a race-horse. This shews how necessary it is, before we pro- 
nounce on the aptitude or inaptitude of these parts, to first deter- 
mine the breed of the animal, or for what purpose he is intended. 
The quarters may be good of the kind, and yet of a character un- 
suitable to the breed or make of the horse, or they may be of a 
description in keeping with the breed and conformation of the 
individual, and yet “ bad” of their kind. The quarters of the 
thorough-bred may possess the due length and straightness, but 
may be wanting in defined boldness of project ure, and be deficient 
in muscularity, thereby being flat and lank and powerless. 
Again, the quarters of the cart-horse may be characteristically 
short in their various dimensions, but may prove defective in bulk 
and plumpness. The length of the loins must a good deal influence 
the make of the hind quarters : shortness and compactness in the 
one would ill consort, both in appearance and action, with lengthi- 
ness and elasticity in the other ; and it is not often that we observe 
any disagreement in this respect. 
We meet, every now and then, with horses whom we admire in 
every respect save that they “ fall off” or are “ plain” in their 
quarters. The rump is small and altogether out of proportion to 
other parts, or it is one of a “ drooping” character ; or else, from 
* Ilalf-bred horses, with short round quarters, from their tails being car- 
ried erect, are commonly so called. 
