70 THEORY OF MOUTHIiNG. 



on his forehand ; and will lose time in his stride by excessive 

 bending of the knees, which is necessary in that case to 

 enable his feet to clear the ground. 



Owing to the variety in the conformation of different 

 horses, and in the work they are called upon to do, it is 



Fig. 4. Cantering. 



impossible to lay down any fixed rule as to the angle at 

 which the head and neck should be carried ; a fact that 

 is of little moment, for experience will enable us to form 

 a sufficiently near approximation for all practical purposes. 

 The neck muscles which draw the fore limb forward, will 

 act to the best advantage when the neck is held straight ; 



