92 ATTITUDES OF THE HORSE. 



ridden much " over a country/' will know the great use a 

 horse makes of his head and neck for regulating the 

 position of the centre of gravity when jumping, and 

 especially when he makes a " mistake." 



(4) To enable the Mouth-piece of the Snaffle to act 

 efficiently on the " bars " of the Mouth. — The " bars " of 

 the mouth are those parts of the gums of the lower jaw 

 which are bare of teeth, and which are situated between 

 the back-teeth and the tushes of the horse or gelding, 

 or the spots which they would occupy, were these 

 canine teeth developed in the mare. As the " bars " 

 are much more sensitive to pressure than the corners of 

 the mouth ; we should, when using the snaffle, endeavour 

 to make the horse carry his head so that he will not shift 

 the mouth-piece off the former and on to the latter. The 

 mouth-piece will, naturally, act best when the head is 

 carried perpendicularly to the ground ; but it can also 

 act efficiently if the hue of the face is not at a less angle 

 to the ground than about 45°. The apparent anomaly 

 of the mouth-piece of the snaffle not shpping off the '' bars " 

 and on to the corners of the mouth in this case, may be 

 explained by the fact that the well-broken horse, when 

 being ridden or driven, keeps the joints of his lower jaw 

 in a more or less relaxed condition, so that the " bars," 

 as a rule, will make a greater angle with the ground than 

 the hue of the face will do. When a horse which is ridden 

 in a snaffle, is made to carry his head in a more or less 

 perpendicular manner, he may, as a " defence," relax 

 his jaw, with the object of letting the mouth-piece slip 

 down in his mouth as much as possible, in order that a 

 certain amount of the pull of the reins may be transferred 

 from it to his poll, over which the crown-piece of the 

 bridle passes. Any '' defence " which a horse makes by 

 opening his mouth, may be counteracted by the use of a 

 properly applied nose-band. 



