84 ATTITUDES OF THE HORSE. 



parts together. The work they perform being entirely of 

 a passive nature ; they do not get tired, hke muscles, 

 the work of which is of an active form, and cannot be 

 continued without suitable intervals of rest. As an 

 instance of this " bracing " function of ligaments, we 

 find that the fetlock is passively supported during 

 rest (taken in a standing position) by an inelastic fibrous 

 cord^ which goes behind the fetlock joint, and is attached 

 by one end to the head of the cannon-bone, and by 

 the other to the base of the pedal bone. Not only are 

 the fore legs provided with these special ligaments, to 

 prevent the limbs from " doubling up " ; but most of 

 the muscles which straighten the legs during work, are 

 composed of a large amount of ligamentous fibres. Such 

 muscles, therefore, during their periods of rest, can 

 assume to some extent the functions of ligaments. In 

 fact, one powerful muscle in the fore leg of the dog is 

 represented in the horse by a ligament (the suspensory). 

 Besides, the muscles which straighten the fore limb are 

 not single, but multiple muscles, one of which can take 

 its turn at work, while its fellows rest. 



This mechanism enables the horse to sleep standing 

 without extraneous support, and is clearly and exhaustively 

 described in Colin' s Physiologie Compar^e. 



Carriage of the Head and Neck. — The attitude 

 which the head and neck assume is determined by the 

 following considerations : (i) For the horse to he able to 

 see in the required direction. If we regard a horse that is 

 standing at attention (Fig. 52), and is looking straight in 

 front of him, we shall see, as a rule, that his neck is held 

 in an easy position, being neither stretched out nor drawn 

 back, and his head is placed so that the line of his face 

 will make an angle of about 60° to the ground. We may, 

 therefore, consider that the axis of each eye is at about 

 that angle to the line of the face. In man, the angle is 

 about 90°, the difference between the two being chiefly 



