River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-12-31
BEAUTY OF THE HORSE.
Some AdmirIng Remarks on Mans Inn
memorial Friend.

Some Admiring Remarks Mans I'm
memorial Friend.
II we would get at the secret OF the
fascinating personality of the weli-bre'i
horse we must recall the axiom that
"the curved line is the line of beauty
and then consider the anatomy of the
horse in detail. All his leading bones
arc set obliquely, not at right angles.
His head is set on with subtle curve of
the last few vertebrae of the neck, which
at the shoulders takes another subtle
curve before they become the dorsal
vertebrae, or backbone, which end, in
their turn, with another curve, forming
the tail. His shoulders slope back
more than those of other quadrupeds,
the scapula, or shoulder blade, being
oblique to the humerour, which in its
turn is oblique to the radius, or upper
part of the foreleg. Again, in the hind
quarters the haunch is set obliquely to
the true thigh; the thigh, at the stitf
Joint, to the upper bone of the hind leg,
which at the hook makes another angle.
The fore and hind quarters form such
large portion of the entire length that a
the front of the chest to the back of the
haunch, is comparatively very short in
the actual back, or SADDLE place." Then
his hooks are much bent, and his pas
tern Joints are rather long, and again
are set at an angle, succeeded by
slightly different angle in the firm but
expanding hoof, thus completing the
4 beautiful mechanism which preserves
the limbs from jar and insures elastic
ity in every part of the animal destined
to carry weight and undergo rapid and
continued exertion--a combination not
existing in any other quadruped to any
thing like the same degree, and fitting
| him precisely for the purpose for which
/ he was given to man.
The well-shaped, delicate ears of thu
horse are capable of being moved sep
nrately in every direction. and every
movement is full of meaning and IL
sympathy with the eye. The eye ]!
] prominent, full and large, and it !:
/ placed laterally, so that he can see be
| hind him without turning his head, hi.
heels being his principal weapon of de
! Tense. His nostrils are large, open and
| flexible, and his lips fleshy, though
| thin and exquisitely mobile and sensi
tive. The large, open nostril is essen
/ tial to him, as a horse breathes solel,
and entirely through it, being phys
ically incapable of breathing through
4 his mouth because a valve in the throa
actually precludes him from doing so
/ Hence the mouth of horse without |
/ bride in ii is opened only for purposes
/ of eating or biting, but never from ex
element or exhaustion, like that o
most other quadreupeds, except thu
deer species. The lips are, perhaps
even more characteristic of the horse
They are his hands as well as part o
/ his mouth, and the horse and others o
his family use them in this way. Ever,
| horseman who has observed his pc
horse picking up small particles o
/ food from the palm of his hand mus
| have noticed the extreme mobility and
delicacy of touch with which the lip
are endowed.
Truly. the horse is graceful anima
/ by nature, and the breeders and train
ers' arts are steadily making him
| more lovely creature to look upon. w
ore hearing it said that the advent o
electric power and its application to al
the purposes of travel are going to abol
Ssh the horse by destroying its utility
Perhaps so, as a mere beast of burden
( But as luxury to the eye and a means
4 of locomotion gratifying 10 all tn
senses, the horse will surely surviv
and become steadily more beautiful
/ Baltimore Sun.