Buffon's Natural History. Volume 05 (of 10) / Containing a Theory of the Earth, a General History of Man, of the Brute Creation, and of Vegetables, Minerals, &c. &c

by comte de Georges Louis Leclerc Buffon

The spring of the houghs contributes as much to the motion of galloping, as that of the loins; whilst the loins use their utmost efforts to raise and push forward the hinder parts, the spring of the hough, breaks the stroke, and lessens the shock: thus, the more pliant and strong are the spring of their houghs, the more gentle and rapid is their motion in galloping.

Walking, trotting, and galloping, are the most usual natural paces; but some horses have another natural motion, called ambling, or pacing, which is very different from the other three, and, at the first glance appears extremely fatiguing to the animal, notwithstanding the quickness of motion is not so great as the hard trot or gallop. In this pace the foot of the horses grazes the ground still more than in walking, and each step is much longer. But the most remarkable circumstance is, that the two legs on the same side, for example, the fore and hind legs on the right side, part from the ground at the same time, and afterwards the two left legs, so that each side of the body alternately is without support, which cannot fail to fatigue the animal very much, being obliged to support itself in a forced balance by the rapidity of a motion which is scarcely clear of the ground: for if he raised his feet in this pace, as much as he does in trotting, or walking quick, he could not fail falling on his side; and it is only from almost grazing the earth, and the quickness of motion, that he is enabled to support himself. In the amble, as well as in the trot, there are but two beats in the motion; and all the difference is, that in the trot the two legs which go together are opposite, in a diagonal line; instead of which, in the amble, the two legs on the same side go together. This pace is extremely fatiguing to the horse, and which he should never be suffered to use but on even ground, but is very easy for the rider; it has not the jolting of the trot, because in the amble, the fore leg rises at the same time with the hind leg on the same side, and consequently meets with no resistance in the motion. Connoisseurs assure us, that horses which naturally amble, never trot; and that they are much weaker than others who have not that pace; in fact, colts often get into this pace, when they are forced to go fast, and have not sufficient strength to trot or gallop; and we observe also, that even good horses, when much fatigued, or begin to decline, take of themselves to ambling.

We may then look upon this pace as proceeding from weakness or defect; but there are still two other paces called broken ambles, one between the amble and the walk, and the other between the trot and the gallop; both of which are more defective than the amble, and proceed from great fatigue or weakness in the loins; these paces are frequently perceivable in almost worn-out post horses.

The horse, of all quadrupeds, with the noblest stature, has the greatest proportion and elegance in all its parts. By comparing him with those animals which are superior or inferior to him, we shall see that the ass is ill-made; that the lion has too large a head; the legs of the ox too thin and short, in proportion to the size of his body; that the camel is deformed, and that those monstrous animals, the rhinoceros and the elephant, are merely rude and shapeless masses. The great length of the jaws is the principal difference between the heads of quadrupeds and the human species; it is also the most ignoble mark of all; yet, though the jaws of the horse are very long, he has not like the ass, an air of imbecility; nor of stupidity like the ox. The regularity and proportions of the parts of his head, give him an air of sprightliness, which is well supported by the beauty of his chest. He seems ambitious of raising himself above his state of a quadruped, by holding up his head; and in this noble attitude he looks man in the face. His eyes are lively and large, his ears well made, and of a just proportion, without being short, like those of the bull, or too long like those of the ass; his mane ornaments his neck, and gives him an air of strength and courage; his long bushy tail covers and terminates advantageously the extremities of his body. Far different from the short tails of the stag, elephant, &c. and the naked tails of the ass, camel, rhinoceros, &c. the tail of the horse is formed of long thick hair, which seems to come from the crupper, because the stump from which it grows is very short; he cannot raise his tail like the lion, but it suits him better hanging down, as he can move it from side to side, and drive away the flies which incommode him; for though his skin is very firm, and well furnished with a close thick coat, it is, notwithstanding, extremely sensible.

The attitude of the head and neck contributes more than all the other parts of the body to give him a noble appearance; the superior part of the neck, on which the mane grows, should raise itself in a straight line from the withers, and, in approaching the head, form a curve somewhat resembling the neck of a swan. The inferior part ought not to have any curve, its direction should be a direct line from the chest to the nether jaw, and a little bent forwards; if it was perpendicular its beauty would be diminished. The superior parts of the neck should be slim, with a little flesh about the mane, which should be moderately ornamented with long sleek hair. A handsome chest and forehand should be long and raised, but proportioned to the size of the horse; when it is too long and thin the horse usually throws his head back, and when too short and fleshy he pushes forwards too much; for the head to be placed in the most advantageous position, the forehead should be perpendicular to the horizon.

The head should be lean and small, without being too long: the ears at a moderate distance, small, straight (but not stiff) narrow, and well-placed on the top of the head; the forehead should be narrow, and a little convex; the hollows or spaces between the eyes and ears, well filled; the eyelids thin; the eyes clear, lively, full of fire, rather large, and projecting; the pupil rather large; the nether jaw thin; the nose a little arched; the nostrils large and open, and divided by a thin partition; the lips thin, the mouth of a moderate width; the withers raised and sloping, the shoulders flat, and not confined; the back equal, insensibly arched lengthways, and raised on each side of the back bone, which should appear indented; the flanks full and short; the rump round and fleshy; the haunches well covered with muscular flesh; the stump of the tail thick and firm; the thighs thick and fleshy; the houghs round before, and broad on the sides; the shank thin and small; the fetlock strong and covered with a tuft of hair behind; the pasterns large, and of a middling length; the coronet rather raised; the hoof black, smooth, and shining; the instep high; the quarters round; the heels wide and moderately raised; the frog small and thin, and the sole thick and hollow.

Few horses possess this assemblage of perfection; the eyes are subject to many faults, which are sometimes difficult to be known. In a sound eye, we ought to see through the cornea two or three spots of the colour of soot, above the pupil; for to see those spots, the cornea must be clear, clean, and transparent; if it appears double, or of a bad colour, the eye is not good; a small, long, and straight pupil, encompassed with a white circle, or when it is of a blueish green colour, the eye is certainly bad.

I shall at present only add some remarks, by which a judgment may be formed of the principal perfections and imperfections of a horse. It is very easy to judge of the natural and actual state of the animal by the motion of his ears; when he walks, he should incline forwards the points of his ears; when jaded his ears hang low; those which are spirited and mischievous, alternatively carry one of their ears forwards, and the other backwards: they all turn their ears to that side on which they hear any noise, and when struck on the back, or on the rump, they turn their ears backward. Horses who have the eyes deep sunk in the head, or one smaller than the other, have usually a bad sight; those whose mouths are dry, are not of so healthy a temperament as those which have their mouths moist, and make the bridle frothy. A saddle horse ought to have the shoulders flat, supple, and not very fleshy; the draft horse, on the contrary, should have them flat, round, and thick; if, notwithstanding, the shoulders of a saddle horse are too thin, and the bones shew themselves through the skin, it is a defect which proves the shoulders are not free, and consequently the horse cannot bear much fatigue. Another fault of a saddle horse is, to have the chest project too forward, and the fore legs placed too far backward, because he is apt in this case to rest on the hand in galloping, and even to stumble and fall. The length of the legs should be proportionable to the height of the horse; when the fore legs are too long he is not sure-footed, if they are too short, he bears too heavy on the hand. It is a remark that mares are more liable than horses to be low before, and that stone-horses in general have thicker necks than mares or geldings.

The most important thing to be known, is the age of a horse. As they advance in years the eye-pits commonly sink, but it is from the teeth that we obtain the most certain knowledge of their age; of these the horse has 40, 24 grinders, four eye teeth or tushes, and 12 incisive teeth. Mares have no eye teeth, or if they have them they are very short; it is from the front and eye teeth alone we are enabled to form any judgment of their age. The front teeth begin to shew themselves a few days after the birth of the foal, these first teeth are round, short, and not very solid; they drop out at different times to make room for others. At two years and a half the four front middle teeth drop out, two at top, and two at bottom; a year after four others fall out, one on each side of the first, which are already replaced; At four years and a half, four others drop out, always on each side of those which have been shed and replaced; these four last milk teeth are replaced by four others, which do not grow near so last as those which replaced the first eight; and these four last teeth which are called the wedges, or corner teeth, as those by which the age of a horse is distinguished; these are easily known, since they are the third, as well at top as at bottom, beginning to count from the middle of the extremity of the jaw; these teeth are hollow, and have a black mark in their cavities. At four years and a half, or five years old, they scarcely project beyond the gums, and their cavities are plainly seen. At six years and a half they begin to fill up, the mark also begins to diminish gradually, till he comes to seven years and a half, or eight years, when the hollow is entirely filled up and the black mark effaced. After the animal has attained this period, it is common to attempt to judge of his age by the eye teeth, or tusks; these four teeth are placed at the side of those which we have just described. Neither the eye teeth, nor grinders, are preceded by others which fall out. Those of the interior jaw usually begin to shoot at three years and a half, the two of the upper jaw at the age of four, and till the animal is six years old they are very sharp; at ten years old the upper ones appear already blunt, worn, and long, because the gum wears away with age, and the more it appears worn away, the more aged is the horse. From 10 till 13 or 14 years, there is hardly any indication of the age; when some of the hairs on the eye-brows begin to grow white; but this indication is equivocal, since it has been remarked that horses engendered from old stallions and old mares have the hair white on the eye-brows by the age of 10 years. There are also horses whose teeth are so hard that they do not wear, and upon which the black mark subsists and is never effaced; but these are easily known by the length of the eye teeth. We may also know, though with less precision, the age of a horse by the ridges of the palate, which are effaced in proportion to his age.

By the age of two, or two years and a half, the horse is in a state to engender; and mares, like all other females, are still more forward; but these young horses produce only foals ill-shaped, or of bad constitutions. The horse should at least be four or four years and a half before he is admitted to the mare, and even that is too early, unless for draught and large horses. It is necessary to wait till the sixth year for a fine breed, and the Spanish stallion should not be admitted before the seventh. The mares may be a year younger; they are usually in season from the end of March to the end of June; but they are most fit to receive the male for about fifteen days or three weeks, and this is the best period for admitting them to the stallion. He should be chosen with care, handsome, well made, vigorous, perfectly sound, and of a good breed. To have handsome saddle-horses, foreign stallions, as Arabian, Turkish, Barbary, and Andalusian horses, are preferable to all others; and even, notwithstanding their faults, the English horses may be successfully made use of, because they came originally from the above-mentioned, and are not much degenerated; the food being excellent in England, where they are also very careful in keeping up the breed. The stallions of Italy, especially those of Naples, are very good, and produce handsome saddle-horses, when coupled with well-shaped mares, and fine coach-horses when with mares of a large stature. It is pretended, that in France, England, &c. the Arabian and Barbary horses usually beget horses larger than themselves, and that the Spanish horses produce a smaller breed. To have handsome coach-horses we should make use of Neapolitan and Danish stallions, or those from Holstein or Friezeland. The stallions should be full 14 hands and a half high for saddle-horses, and fifteen hands for coach-horses; a stallion should also have a good coat, black as jet, or of a fine grey, bay, or chesnut. All which seem in their colour as if they were washed or ill-coloured should be banished from the breed, as well as those which have white extremities. Besides these exterior, a stallion should also have the best interior, qualities, such as courage, docility, spirit, and agility; sensibility in the mouth, freedom in his shoulders; he should be sure footed, supple in the haunches, and have a spring in the whole body, but above all in his hind legs, and should have been well broke and trained. These particulars it is the more necessary to observe in the choice of a stallion, because it has been remarked, that he communicates by generation almost all his good and bad qualities, both natural and acquired. A horse, naturally morose, gloomy, stubborn, &c. produces foals of the same disposition: and as the defects of conformation, as well as the vices of the humours, perpetuate with still more certainty than the natural qualities, great care should be taken to exclude from the whole stud all deformed, vicious, glandered, broken-winded, or mad horses.