THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. XVI, No. 189. SEPTEMBER 1843. New Series, No. 21. 
LECTURES ON HORSES. 
By William PERCIVALL, M.R.C.S., Veterinary Surgeon 
First Life Guards. 
THE PROPORTIONS OF ECLIPSE. 
I MUST confess I feel some surprise that no person since 
St. Bel’s* time — none that I am aware of — has seriously taken up 
this subject: at least it must be admitted to be an interesting one ; 
one, I think, that may be turned to some useful account; and I 
only wish it had fallen into better hands than mine. All who feel 
interested in the annals of racing, and in that science which makes 
us, on geometrical or mechanical principles, acquainted with “ the 
form and action” of horses, cannot fail to seek with some eagerness 
what can be learnt about “ the best horse” that ever lived ; and 
every such person must feel a debt of gratitude to St. Bel for 
having, so far as he has, rescued the remains of Eclipse from obli- 
vion, in having left us data concerning his shape and action, in 
number and nature sufficient to enable us at this distant day to 
infer what kind or description of a horse the paragon of racers 
must have been. 
According to St. Bel’s “ geometrical table” of proportions, either 
there is something fundamentally erroneous in the standard of the 
French schools, or else Eclipse was, in his head or other parts, out 
of proportion. Considering that he stood sixteen and a half hands 
high, and that his head measured no more than twenty-two inches, 
we need feel no surprise that, while other horses, according to the 
scale, were but three heads length in height, he measured three 
* How is the name of our venerable Professor to be spelt ? Mr. Blaine 
asks (in his introduction to his fourth edition) “ on what authority the late 
Professor’s name is spelt Sainbel .” Mr. Blaine has a letter in his possession 
in which the Professor has distinctly signed himself “ St. Bel.” At page 381, 
however, we still find “ Sainbell a typographical error, no doubt. 
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