LECTURES ON HORSES. 
187 
THE BELLY. 
This being a part which has no existence in the skeleton, would 
hardly, with propriety, be considered by us in this place, were it 
not intimately associated in its formation with the chest, and so 
dependent upon it for its form and size, that we seem called upon 
to transgress the rule of procedure we had set ourselves at the 
beginning. 
The chest and belly, in inseparable union, constitute the body. 
Exteriorly, we can with difficulty determine where one begins 
and the other ends ; but when we come to dissect the body, we 
find that, interiorly, their cavities are altogether separate, being 
divided by a broad and complete partition of fleshy substance. 
The size or bulk of the belly, for the most part, is regulated by 
the dimensions and form of the chest ; though, in many instances, 
one is large, while the other is comparatively small. In a horse 
that is “ribbed up,” or “ribbed home,” the belly receives so much 
more support from the posterior ribs, than when the interval be- 
tween the last rib and hip-bone is long, that, with the chest, it 
appears, under all circumstances, to preserve a sort of indivisible 
union and never- varying proportion. But such horses as are short- 
chested, or long or loose loined, and as are, according to the text 
we have prefixed, “ at the same time great feeders, will soon dis- 
tend their bellies to such a degree that it will be impossible for their 
entrails to be contained within their ribs ; so they will press down, 
and form what is called ‘ a cow’s belly.’ ” Upon such a horse, in 
consequence of the large circumferent measure posteriorly, and the 
diminished size of the girth round the brisket, the saddle is fre- 
quently riding forwards and the girths becoming loose ; the only 
stay to the saddle being a crouper or girthing tight enough round 
the middle of the bellv to form a sort of indentation in that part, 
neither of which expedients is very pleasant to the horse or his 
rider. Opposed to this kind of formation of body is that in which, 
from want of length, or rather convexity, in the middle ribs, the 
circumferent measure decreases all the way from the place of girth- 
ing to the flanks : the consequence of which is, that the horse is 
continually slipping his roller and running through his clothes. 
It is always a sign of good make when a horse “carries his saddle 
well it shews that his back is properly formed, and that he is 
not encumbered with “ a cow’s belly.” It also looks well when 
the roller keeps its place, at least when the circumstance is not 
solely referrible to size or distention of belly. 
A LIGHT-CARCASSED, or heron-gutted horse , is commonly weak 
in constitution and defective in physical powers, and altogether 
