422 
LECTURES ON HORSES. 
the shoulder is not to be considered so much as the hind quarters 
and loins. Daily observation shews us, that the shoulder may be 
any thing but perfect in formation, and yet possess a good deal of 
action — that, as I said before, we are not advanced to that knowledge 
of shoulders which will enable us to pronounce on a horse’s action 
by bare inspection of them : we cannot positively say his action will 
turn out very bad, or must prove very good ; we pretend to know 
nothing for certain until the horse is put into action, and then, pos- 
sibly, we may discover reasons why his action proves so much 
better or so much worse than we had anticipated. Many excellent 
racers have what we should call any thing but perfect shoulders ; 
their good qualities are amply accounted for in their round fleshy 
loins and lengthy muscular hind quarters : on the contrary, many, I 
repeat, possess as handsome and well-formed shoulders as can be 
desired ; and when this occurs along with the requisite strength 
and length in the hind quarters, surely it must be regarded as a 
great advantage, providing the action be fitting and commensurate. 
But FOR Harness, or even for support of burthen, as I ob- 
served in my last Lecture, the thick or heavy or loaded shoulder 
is to be preferred to the one that is thin, or that is oblique : a horse 
so formed is, cceteris paribus , actually stronger in his shoulders, 
capable of carrying and drawing heavier loads ; in a word, better 
formed for these duties. It is not compatible with animal power 
to exert great strength in draught or carriage, and at the same 
time step out much in action : the short step husbands the strength, 
the long one expends it beyond the power of the animal to repeat 
the act many times or for any continuance with the same effect. 
It is no answer to this to say, we see horses with excellent action 
drawing very heavy carriages and still displaying their action in 
draught. Some horses, it is apparent enough, are in possession of 
such strength even in action that what would ordinarily be con- 
sidered a heavy load does not oppress them : still, as a general 
rule, I have no fear in asserting, that both heavy carriage and 
heavy draught at first cramps or limits, and ultimately tends to 
habitually diminish action : the horse finds, with the enormous 
weight behind or upon him, that he cannot, as he could before, 
step out in action ; he perceives, if he does, that he soon exhausts 
his strength, cannot make way with his load, and therefore, com- 
pulsorily, shortens, and at the same time quickens, his step, not 
bending and rounding his legs in action as he did when out of 
harness, or when his draught or burthen proved but light. I well 
remember a little strong mare I used to drive in my four-wheel 
chaise, who stepped out remarkably well and even went with great 
freedom upon a level road ; but who, the moment she came to any 
ascent or hill or bad piece of road, where she perceived the draught 
