The exterior of the horse . horses which have not performedwell on the race-course are risked in the steeple-chase. High withers,a sliort and straight dorso-lund)ar region, a strong and beautiful attach- 828 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. ment of the loins ; large and strong muscles of the hind-quarters, par-ticularly of the croup (which, without inconvenience, may he a littleinclined), the thigh, the buttock, and the leg ; development of thearticulations, especially of the hocks and the pasterns; strength andbeauty of equilibrium of the anterior members ; finally, a rather shortbody,—such are the
The exterior of the horse . horses which have not performedwell on the race-course are risked in the steeple-chase. High withers,a sliort and straight dorso-lund)ar region, a strong and beautiful attach- 828 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. ment of the loins ; large and strong muscles of the hind-quarters, par-ticularly of the croup (which, without inconvenience, may he a littleinclined), the thigh, the buttock, and the leg ; development of thearticulations, especially of the hocks and the pasterns; strength andbeauty of equilibrium of the anterior members ; finally, a rather shortbody,—such are the principal qualities to be sought for. It is evi-dent that training constitutes an essential element of this the subject is not trained with the special purpose to jump high,freely, and with skill, it is useless to enter him in this kind of race,whatever may be the perfection of his form. The horse which we have chosen (Fig. 334) as a type is Bois-Roussel, which won the French Derby in 1864. Although he never. Fig. 334.—Steeple-chase , winner of the French Derby in 1864. (Reproduced from a photograph belonging to M. Delton.) ran in a steeple-chase, his whole conformation indicates how greatwould have been his fitness for this service had he been trained with aview to it. It is, then, quite intentionally that we here recommend hisportrait to the readers attention, in spite of the different use to whichhe has been put by his owner. Preferred Coats.—Most subjects in this category are bay, sorrel,or roan, but excellent ones are found among the other colors. RACE-HORSES. 829 Price.—The price of the steeple-chaser is as variable as that ofanv other race-horse. It is determined according to the pedigree andthe conformation in the colt which has not yet ])erformed ; on theother hand, according to the performances and the snccesses obtainedwhen he has already apj)cared npon the tnrf. Ordinarily, it is inferior to that of tlie preceding, because the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjecthorses, bookyear1892
