86 ATTITUDES OF THE HORSE. 



feet, he will bring the line of his face perpendicular, or 

 nearly so, to the ground. Of course, the axes of the eyes 

 can be altered to a greater or less extent, without 

 the head being moved ; but the horse possesses such 

 great mobility of head and neck that, when he is 

 free, he will adjust his line of vision principally by the 

 movement of these parts. 



It is therefore evident that if we want a horse, when 

 riding or driving him, to have a good look at the ground 

 over which he is about to go, we should allow him, or 

 endeavour to induce him, to carry his head at an angle of 

 about 60° to it. A more perpendicular carriage of the 

 head would be permissible only for riding-school work, 

 or for evolutions in which freedom of movement has, to 

 some extent, to be sacrificed for obtaining thorough 

 power of control. If the angle which the face makes 

 with the ground be much less than 60°, the animal will 

 not be able to see where he is going, as accurately as if 

 his head was in its normal position. 



(2) To permit of free movement of the fore limbs. — My 

 readers will remember that the shoulder-blade of the horse, 

 on each side, is connected to the body by muscles which 

 allow it to work backward and forward on the chest. As 

 the shoulder-blade and humerus (Fig. 18) are drawn forward 

 and upward by muscles of the neck ; it follows that the 

 direction of this pull will be regulated, to a great extent, 

 by the direction in which the horse carries his head. 

 Hence, if we require " lofty " shoulder action, we must 

 get him to carry his head comparatively high. If he 

 carries it low, only a slight upward lift can be given to 

 the shoulders. In such a case, to make up for want of 

 shoulder action, the horse will probably increase his knee 

 action, which is obtained by muscles that have no power 

 to move the shoulders. Thus, we may see a horse which 

 has free shoulder action and gallops with a straight knee, 

 when he carries his head fairly high, go in a " round " 

 and cramped style, if he be permitted or induced to 



