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E. A. A. GRANGE 
washy, delicate creatures. The ribs are considered well arranged 
when the distance between the last one and the point of the hip 
is little more than the breadth of a hand, such animals are said 
to be well ribbed up; but when this space is considerable, the 
horse is spoken of as being loosely coupled, which is frequently 
associated with narrow loins, the two together producing a style 
of conformation that is seldom fit for a good hard day’s work in 
any capacity, while the horse that is well ribbed up, other things 
being equal, is usually able for anything that it may be called 
upon to do probably the secret is, that in such horses the chest 
is well formed and spacious, giving the heart and lungs plenty 
of room to perform their various functions with ease and 
comfort. 
The abdomen varies perhaps more than any other part 
according to the feed or natural condition of the animal. Some 
animals are always very full owing to the actual size of the organs 
contained therein. When the dimensions are very large they 
spoil an animal’s appearance to some extent, and, on the other 
hand, we occasionally meet with horses that will not fill up 
always appearing tucked up in the flank; such animals are often 
poor feeders and consequently not able to do a hard day’s work. 
The skin should be supple and loose, having an abundance 
of little glands whose presence and healthy condition are indi¬ 
cated by the glossy appearance of a well groomed coat. 
The fore leg is situated upon the front part of the side of the 
chest, or rather that part of the leg above the elbow joint, and 
in a general way it responds to the six anterior pairs of ribs. 
The part of the shoulder which extends from the point in an 
upward and backward direction to within a short space of the 
top of the withers, is the portion of which deserves closest 
scrutiny when examining the conformation of an animal, for by 
the incline in the anterior surface of the region we are able to tell, 
with more or less certainty, what kind of action the animal will 
have as well as judge it in some other particulars. We cannot 
call to mind ever having ridden a horse with straight shoulders 
that was an agreeable animal as far as its gait was concerned. 
