CONFORMATION AND ACTION, &C. 81 
Again, although beauty has its birth in proportion, it could 
not be argued that a person ignorant of proportion, was, there¬ 
fore, no judge of beauty; for, in fact, proportion must have 
originally been determined upon from that which, by common 
consent, was regarded as beautiful. 
The proportions assigned as perfect symmetry or beauty in 
the horse by Bourgelat are these: the head is fixed upon as the 
regulating scale for the admeasurement of all the other parts ; to 
which end its entire length (from the summit of the poll to the 
lowermost border of the lips) is divided into three portions, de¬ 
nominated primes ; each prime is subdivided into three equal 
parts, called seconds ; and each second is parted into twenty- 
four divisions, named points . In any case, when the head itself 
appears to be the faulty or disproportionate part, Bourgelat 
instructs us to lay aside this artificial scale, and form another out 
of the height and length of the body, by dividing each of 
them into five equal parts ; and taking tw o out of these to sub¬ 
divide into primes, seconds, and points, the same as is done in 
ordinary cases with the head. 
With a scale so constructed, Bourgelat thus proceeds: 
1. Three geometrical lengths of the head give the proper 
height of the horse, measuring from his poll down to the 
ground he stands upon; that is, supposing the head to be in a 
proper position. 
2. Two heads and a half give the height of the body, i. e. from 
the withers to the ground. Also, the length of the body , in¬ 
cluding both the fore and hind quarters. 
3. The entire length of the head gives 
The length of the neck, from the withers from the occiput. 
The height of the shoulders, from the elbow to the withers. 
The breadth of the shoulder, from side to side. 
4 . Ihe measure from the summit of the head to the an<*le of 
the lips will give, 
The length of the croup, taken from the anterior spine of 
the ileum to the tuberosity of the ischium. 
1 he breadth of the croup or haunches, or extent between 
the inferior spines of the ilea. 
The height of the croup, from the point of the stifle to the 
summit of the croup, the limb being at rest. 
The lateral length of the hind legs, measuring from the 
point of the stifle to the protuberant part of the side of 
the gaskin, thence in a straight line to the projecting* 
side of the hock. i J 
The height of the hock from the ground , measured from 
the point referred to above. 
