THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
YOL. XV, No. 170.] FEBRUARY 1842. [New Series, No. 2. 
LECTURES ON HORSES. 
By William PERCIVALL, M.R.C.S . , Veterinary Surgeon 
First Life Guards. 
LECTURE I. — ( continued .) 
THE BACK AND LOINS. 
“ The back of a horse, to be a good one, should sink a little below the withers, 
but the other part should never be too low, but always straight. Wh%n 
the back is higher behind than forwards, he is apt to be pinched in his 
shoulders, which makes him both weak and unsightly ; besides, his hind 
parts are rendered so heavy thereby, that he generally has an awkward 
clumsy gait, and moves but slowly. If a horse’s back is too short in 
proportion to his bulk, and yet he is in other respects well built, he may 
hold out pretty well on a journey, but such are generally slow, and 
never make a good appearance ; but if at the same time he is tall, and 
has very long legs, his worth is but trifling^ If his back is a little arched 
behind. the saddle, it is a sign of strength, and shews fitness both for 
hunting and travelling.” — Farmers' Dictionary. 
THE strength of arched structures is well exhibited in works of 
art. Whenever the architect requires great strength and resist- 
ance he adopts the form of the arch. Between the columns of spa- 
cious buildings he extends arches, by which their Avails are ren- 
dered more secure in being bound together, and their roofs sup- 
ported ; and in the construction of bridges across waters of any 
extent, he employs an arch, or a succession of arches. That won- 
derful work, the Tunnel underneath the bed of the Thames, con- 
sists of a series of united arches of substance sufficient to resist 
the pressure of the superincumbent body of water, which at high 
tide is estimated at an almost incredible weight. 
With all the strength and power of resistance of the archi- 
tectural arch, the arcs of the spine possess a degree of mobility, 
enabling them to alter their figure, and to become larger or smaller, 
VOL. XV. T 
