132 THE HORSE 



likewise, tl.cy aro scantily covered with hair, and that hair is fine and short, 

 and long hairs or feelers, called the beard, are superadded for the same 

 purpose. The horse is guided and governed principally by the mouth, 

 and therefore the lips are endowed with extraordinary sensibility, so that 

 the animal feels the slightest motion of the hand of the rider or driver, and, 

 as it were, anticipates his very thoughts. The Jineness or goodness of the 

 mouth consists in the exquisite feeling of the mouth, and depends on the 

 thinness of this membrane. We shall say more of this, when we have 

 described the lower jaw and palate. 



Tiie lips of the horse should be thin, if the beauty of the head be re- 

 garded, for if the are loaded with fat they cannot be so sensible as they 

 ought to be : yet, although tliin, they should evidently possess power, and 

 be strongly and regularly closed. A firm, compressed mouth gives a 

 favourable and no deceptive idea of the muscular power of tlie animal. 

 Lips apart from each other, and hanging down, indicate weakness or old 

 age, or dullness and sluggishness. 



The depth of the mouth, or the distance from the fore part to the angle 

 of the lips, should be consideral)le, first, for the sake of beauty. A short 

 protuberant mouth would be a bad finish to the tapering face of the blood 

 horse ; more room is likewise given for the opening of the nostril, which 

 we have seen to be an important consideration. The bridle will not be 

 carried well, and the horse will hang heavy on hand, if there be not con- 

 siderable depth of mouth. 



The angles of the lips are frequently made sore or wounded by the 

 smallness or shortness of the snaffle, and by the unnecessary and cruel 

 tightness of the bearing rein. This rein not only gives the horse a grander 

 appearance in harness, and places the head in that position in which the 

 bit most powerfully presses upon the jaw, but there is no possibilty of 

 driv'ng without it, unless the arm of the driver were as strong as that of 

 Hercules; and most certainly there is no safety if it be not used. There 

 are few horses who will not bear, or bore upon something, and it is better 

 to let them bore upon themselves than upon the arm of the driver. With- 

 out this control, many of them would hang their heads low and be dis- 

 posed every moment to stumble, and would defy all pulling, if they tried 

 to run away. There is, and can be no no necessity, however, for using a 

 bearing-rein so tight as to cramp the muscles of the head, and which is 

 indicated by the animal's continually tossing up his head : they may indeed 

 be cramped to such a degree, that the horse is scarcely able to bring his head 

 to the ground when turned to grass. The tight rein injures and excoriates 

 the angles of the lips, and frequently brings on poll-evil. We saw a poor 

 horse at work, unroughed, during a severe frost. He was continually 

 sliding about, and in danger of falling. The stupid driver buckled the 

 bearing-rein as tight as he could, to keep hhn vp ; and the consequence was, 

 that by the sudden and forcible pressing upon the ii-on, in the slips which 

 wouM still every moment occur, the corners of the mouth were absolutely 

 cut tlirough to a considerable depth. Except it be a restive or determined 

 horse, there should be little more bearing upon the mouth than is generally 

 used in riding. This the horse likes to feel, and it is necessary for him in 

 the swift gallo]). We must have the bearing-rein, whatever some meu of 

 iiumanity may say against it; but we need not use it cruelly. 



