WHAT IS A STAYER.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3365, 18 December 1919, Page 5

WHAT IS A STAYER.

A highly-interesting corl'eSlfondellce is going on in Melbourne on the question: What is a stayer?’.’ and many keen men have given their views thereon. One of zthese men to enter the arena to express his View on the interesting point is Mr F. W. Purehes, who is on all hands accepted as a great-.judge, both on racing and of the thoroughbred. In the- com.-es of his remarks Mr Purches says: “The horse 111us“i‘, other things being fairly equal, have a hound heart and lungs, and plenty of lung-room for forced breathing. This is Obtained in two ways, either by good depth or good “spring” (or roundness) of the wrole of the ribs-, and particularly so of the back ones. Where the ribs lack ~21. little in depth n.atu.re‘can large]y compcnsalfe, not only bys aforesaid ‘spring,’ but by inclining the ribs to the re'ar——-somewllat after the style of a -sharp-angled blaeki'-ellow’s,. [hoome~ rang—and also shorten the middlepiece (a long-backed h'c-rse never strays well.) One of the chief reasdns why the thorax and also the back ribs should be well-shaped is othiait‘ the sheet of muscle called the éliaphram during forced breathing pushes the stomach and intestines ‘well to the rear, thereby making more rooms zifor the lungs. Hence the necessity 1' or go!od back ribs. .So far we can see that conformationiplays -a very 'i'rnpor?fla.in'-t part in the staying ability, ‘l)llt'not fiiearly

so much so in that of stamina, ‘The later lapplies mo.e,, I think to the animal born and reared in rough, inclement surroundings, with eoarrse flare, and yet able To perform great feats of hardihood year in and year out, which the well-nurtured racecourse stayer could not endure. Temperament of the kind amenable to the rider’s every command, therefore, free of wilfulness is another Strong factor, and it has a large influence, together with the fore~ going qualities, on action.” I