ON PROGRESSION. 213 



for a horse cannot gallop out with his head 

 rehicd up. Thus, in the swift gallop, he car- 

 ries his head and neck nearly horizontal. 

 Grooms and jockies teach horses to pull against 

 them in the gallop, and this practice liclps to 

 support them when they stand up in the stir- 

 rups ; hut this cannot counterbalance the bad 

 effects of deadening the horse's mouth by llie con- 

 stant pressure of the bit ; for when the horse thus 

 bears on the hand, a considerable portion of the 

 power which should be concentrated in his bo- 

 dy, for the purpose of maintaining his equili- 

 brium, is directed to his head, and hence he 

 becomes much more liable to fall in case of 

 meeting with any casual obstacle. In propor- 

 tion with the want of sensibility in the horse's 

 mouth, the rider will have less command of 

 him ; this accounts for their bolting out of the 

 course so frequently during a race. 



To ascertain the extent of ground which 



the horse passes over at each stroke, it will be 



P 3 necessary 



