COUPLING OF THE HEAD 



45 



every direction. Moreover, horses so made are mostly heavy iu hand, 

 besides being stiff and ungainly in their side movements. 



The direction of the head iu relation to beauty and usefulness is no less 

 important than its mode of attachment, and it will be correct to say that 

 the one is in some degree influenced by the other. It may be diflicult to 

 state precisely what is the most classical disposition of the head in this 

 respect, but we agree in the suggestion of Goubaux and Barrier that " the 

 head has a good as well as a natural direction when it extends obliquely 

 from above to below, from before to 

 behind, and forms with the ground 

 surface an angle of about 45 degrees" 

 (fig. 26). 



This position, besides being fa- 

 vourable to an extensive range of 

 vision, gives the animal a good view 

 of the ground before him over which 

 he is travelling, and at the same time 

 confidence and safety in movement. 



The disposition of the head is 

 very considerably influenced by the 

 conformation of the neck. In that con- 

 dition known as " ewe-neck" (fig. 42) 

 it frequently as.sumes a horizontal direction, or, to use a stable phrase, is 

 carried with the nose more or less "poked out". 



It results from this attitude that bridle control is very materially 

 diminished or may be altogether lost, on account of the too backward dis- 

 placement of the bit, which is made to act either directly on the angles of 

 the mouth, or, what is worse, on the first molar teeth. 



Cross-tempered horses of this type are apt to seize the l)it in their 

 grinders, in which case all attempts to restrain them are vain. IMoreover, 

 the direction of the line of vision being set high, obstacles and irregu- 

 larities on the ground surface immediately before them are liable to be 

 overlooked, in which case stumbling Ijecomes habitual and dangerous. 



The direction of the head approaches the vertical line very much in 

 proportion to the degree of curvature of the neck (fig. 39), and in some 

 cases, where the latter is unduly arched, the former may even take an 

 oblique direction from before, dow^nward and backward, so that the chin 

 is made to approximate the breast. This conformation not only hinders 

 progression by displacing the centre of gravity backward, but the animal 

 becomes unsafe both on account of his liability to stum])le and the difficulty 

 which, in extreme cases, is experienced in causing him to turn to the right 



Fig, 38. — Head close-coupled 



