food makes rich blood, good respiratory powers keep the blood pure, and a strong heart keeps the stream in active motion. In a horse where such a state of things exists, there is a power of digestion which work can rarely impair, and a muscular development which exertion can only improve. If, again, the lungs and chest are small in size and ineffective in action, the blood becomes highly charged with noxious matter; this, like a poison, destroys the appetite, and muscular power will certainly fail when muscular nutrition is not maintained.

"In the human being, fitted as he is to maintain an erect posture upon the two lower extremities, the arms are attached to the chest by means of bone as well as by ligaments and muscle. The chest is flattened before and behind, but rounded laterally; it is therefore much wider from side to side than from the breast to the backbones. The arms are attached to its upper and outer-corners, the shoulder-joints are kept apart by bones (clavicles) acting upon them, and the shoulder-blades lie almost behind. This position gives the arms a wide range of motion in every direction, and, including the hand, although capable of performing a greater variety of action than any other single organ, yet they are not adapted for supporting the body.

"The capacity of a horse's chest depends of course upon its breadth, depth, and length. Breadth of chest is due to the amount of divergence, or arching outward and backward, of the ribs from the spine. Depth of chest is determined by the length or prolongation of the ribs in a direction downward. The anterior (fore) limbs are required to aid in supporting the body in a horizontal position, and also serve as important organs of progression; they become, in fact, reduced to pillars of support and levers of propulsion only. Hence, so far as their osseous framework is concerned, we find them resolved into comparatively simple columns of bone, composed chiefly of long pieces piled one upon another, united by strong ligaments, sinews, and muscles, and tipped or protected below by a tough thick horny box or hoof. Their motions are chiefly those of bending in two directions, forward and backward; the shoulder does certainly possess considerable rotatory movement, but the joints below it act like ordinary door-hinges. Now to bring these limbs sufficiently beneath or within the weight they have to sustain, each side of the chest is much flattened before. This flattened surface is most complete over the four or five ribs first in order, and is covered by muscle, tendon, and elastic tissue, which join the shoulder-bones to the chest. There is none of that bony union found in man, because such a mode of connection would create dangerous concussion at every step. The flattening of which we have spoken is always more or less perfect where no collar-bone (clavicle) is present; hence, it is seen in all quadrupeds, and, as a general rule, is greatest in animals which are specially fitted for

rapid action. It is more obvious in the greyhound than in the bulldog or mastiff; is more perceptible in the wild goat, chamois, and deer, than in the well-bred short-horn cow or Leicester sheep; it is more evident in the wild boar than in the prize swine of our cattle-shows; and as every one knows, it is far more determined in the racer than in the dray-horse. A very broad chest between the shoulders and elbows-one that throws the forelegs widely apart, is incompatible with great powers of speed. Horses for instance, such as those gigantic creatures seen in London drays, make a poor business of a trot, and a mere burlesque of galloping; no more can a bulldog walk or trot like a greyhound.

"In trotting, one fore foot is on the ground at once; whilst each foot descends and becomes placed, it approaches the middle vertical longitudinal plane of the body; it is brought, in fact, below the centre of gravity, in order to balance the weight above; and the corresponding shoulder is thrown outward. The bringing of the feet inward, so as to place them more directly underneath the superincumbent weight, with the accompanying outward or balancing shoulder motion, occupies a portion of time, and occasions a rolling or swinging gait, which is more perceptible in the fore than in the hind limbs. The same rolling action is also seen in walking. A wide-chested horse trots much like a bulldog, and for the same reason, viz., a new centre of gravity has to be found for every step, a new balance for every stride, and side motion attends the motion in a forward direction. In galloping, the two fore-feet are together on the ground at one moment, and the two hind-feet at another; in this action the fore-feet do not require to be brought so much forward, because being placed one on each side, they sustain the weight without. Owing, however, to the distance at which they stand apart, the action is wide, loose and jarring. We assume, then, from what is seen in animals adapted for most rapid action, that this flattening inside the shoulder-blades, and corresponding approximation of the fore-legs, are necessary conditions of form. It is, however, quite apparent that such flattening will greatly reduce the chest in size, and thus lessen the lungs within. A remedy, however, is ready for such a seeming evil. It is this: the chest of a well-formed horse is increased in depth, in order to compensate for apparent want of width. When the chest is thus narrowed from side to side before, the fore legs approach in like proportion. If near enough, and not too near, they perform straight or direct motion only. After being raised from the ground, as in walking or trotting, and during their descent in the act of stepping, they need not describe any rotation inward in order to be brought underneath the centre of gravity, for they are already sufficiently below the superincumbent weight, nor do the shoulders and chest require to be thrown outward; the step is consequently smooth, the body is never off its balance, and all rolling action is

thus avoided. In the gallop, too, where the chest is narrow, there is neither loss of time nor useless expenditure of muscular power connected with width and looseness of action, but the limbs play evenly in parallel planes or lines direct onward motion, and, so far as speed is concerned, great advantage is gained.

"A too narrow chest, however, is about the greatest of evils; it is sometimes so unduly contracted, and involves other defects so slightly counterbalanced by any advantages, as to render many horses of light and even of heavy breeds completely worthless. How many horses accounted well bred, after proving useless for other purposes, find their way, while yet young, into our street coaches! We see the poor creatures, with broken tottering knees, bruised inside the shank and fetlock, occupying all city cabstands, as hanging their heads to the ground, as if broken-hearted. When a very narrow chest is also very shallow in depth from above to below, the fore-legs come too closely in contact, or, as a popular saying expresses the appearance, "they seem to grow out of one hole." There is often another serious defect in a narrow-chested horse; owing to the ribs not descending sufficiently low between. the elbows, and a deficiency of muscle over the breast-bone, the elbows turn inward, and sometimes actually stand under the breast. This causes the toes to turn outward; every time a fore limb is lifted from the ground, the foot and shank bend inward, but the knee outward; and as the foot approaches the ground again, it is very apt to strike the opposite fetlock. By standing some distance before a horse with this kind of action so as to watch his gait when walking or trotting towards us, the fore-legs and feet seem actually plaited or folded over one another at every step. In a rapid trot this involved action becomes confused, the animal is continually apt to strike the foot of one leg against the foot, fetlock, or shank of the leg opposite, and may come down at any moment. More or less turning out of the toes is often seen in race-horses, especially among second-class animals; when the turning out is not very marked, and the fore-legs are not too close, it is usually accounted no great defect, where speed is the only object, and where little weight has to be carried. On the other hand, where the fore-legs are almost close together, and the toes are widely everted, we may be sure that the chest is narrow and shallow to an injurious degree. In making these observations, I must remind you that many cases of everted toes and interfering limbs depend upon malformation of the fore-legs, and not upon any defective formation of the chest.

"One other imperfection attendant upon this formation may be noticed. A shallow chested horse often carries a saddle badly, and the girths are continually slipping forward close within the elbows, because the chest tapers off so much in this direction. If the withers be low also, there is nothing to prevent the saddle from coming over the shoulder-blade; such a horse is useless for riding.

It is impossible to give any standard of measurement which should determine the width or depth of chest in this region. The famous Eclipse had a space of only 7 inches between the arms, yet he possessed great depth of chest, while his endurance and speed are matters of history. We assume, then, from what has been said, that in horses where speed is the most essential thing, and where the lightest weights are carried, as in race-horses especially, the chest must be flattened between the shoulders, and the fore-legs must be approximated more closely than in any other horses. This flattening, however, must be compensated for, or accompanied by a corresponding increase in depth (a depth that is rarely too great), otherwise the brisket is imperfectly covered with muscle, the toes turn out widely, the heels turn inward, the feet interfere with the legs during rapid action, the powers of endurance are slight, the limbs soon give way from bruises or strains, and, in fact, a complication of such grave defects will soon concur, as to render such a horse a living eye-sore when at rest, and a dangerous nuisance to ride or drive.

(To be continued.)

CURB OR CHECK REIN ON HORSES.

The Editor of the Ohio Cultivator is a close observer of horse tactics, and claims to be something of a horse himself; consequently is able to speak (perhaps from experience) of the absurdities and cruelties practised on colts, their dams and sires. The following remarks show that his heart or sympathies lean in the right direction, and we recommend the following article to our readers:

"We have a serious intention of erecting ourselves into a permanent institution for the relief of distressed animals. In a late number we glanced briefly at the unhorsemanlike practice of sitting upon horseback while the horse was at rest. We come now to a more prevalent evil practice, in the abuse of the curb and check rein. In the Cultivator for 1854, p. 291, is an article on this subject from an English paper, which ought to be repeated, or something like it every year.

"As we go upon our daily beat from the cottage on 3d-street, to the Culivator office, our sense of horsemanity is almost daily outraged by what we see at the rails and posts along the curb-stone. Country people come in with their generally well kept horses, and hitch them up while they do their shopping or other errands, which sometimes takes half a day or more. Now, these people have not the slightest intention to abuse their horses; on the contrary, many of them would fight for their steeds as soon as they would for their wives or children; but this is the way they do it: Most of those who come on horseback ride a Spanish saddle with high pommel, and

with a short bridle rein. They dismount, and to keep the bridle rein from getting over the horse's head, they hitch it back over the pommel, by which it is drawn tight, and the horse's head slightly curbed. If the horse was in motion, this slight curb would cause very little uneasiness, but while all the muscles are at rest, this tension soon becomes exceedingly painful, especially as many of these country horses are not at any other time subjected to the curb. The horse bears it very well for a little while, but soon begins to step out and champ the bit, and if it had the gift once vouchsafed to Balaam's ass, would reprove its owner with all the modern improvements of the language. But as the poor brute has no such faculty, and as the rider is the ass in this case, it must grin and bear it; unless, indeed, the Editor of the Cultivator happens along, and quietly putting a finger under the rein fillips it off the horn, and goes on as innocently as if nothing had happened, while the relieved animal holds out his grateful nose and says, "thank you, old fellow!" in a kind of horse latin, that is perfectly intelligible to the editor aforesaid.

"One day last fall we were sitting in the store door of our friend Nelson, of Urbana; it was the day of the County Fair, and as Nelson's store is right fornenst the public square, the rural equestrians came in and soon filled the rails with their saddle nags. The riders as usual hitched up the bridle rein over the horn of the saddle, and went to see the sights. We noticed one colt, a spirited iron gray, trussed up in this way, which soon began to show signs of intense torture. Our finger began to itch to get hold of that curb; the colt riled at the rail, and we hitched about as uneasily in our seat, and finally as we were about going to the rescue, after saying to Nelson that a man deserved to be who would truss up a horse in that way, the gray luckily slipped the rein off the pommel, and out went his nose, the gladdest colt on the public square; and we were about to take off our hat and give three cheers, when we bethought it might compromise the dignity of the Cultivator, so we only clapped our hands, and gave three cheers inwardly.

"But this is only one phase in the abuse of the check rein. Farmers are not the only sinners in this respect; in fact, they are least guilty, and it is because their horses are so seldom sujected to check, that they suffer most intensely when it is imposed. Our town and city folks have most to answer for. Here we see even the cart-boys, with a tun of sand in their cart, and the poor horsewhich is generally a cast-off omnibus or livery horse-checked up most unmercifully, because the ragged driver takes as much pride in having his team look well, as his more aristocratic predecessor; and at every jar of the cart, or misstep of the poor damaged brute that hauls it, the latter gets the full benefit of the jolt upon his jaws, which are by this time providentially pretty well hardened.