VERTEBRAE. 7 



they are greatly elongated, while in the latter they 

 are flattened and fused together. Those of the horse 

 are intended to give flexibility to the neck, and to 

 assist in ' clothing it with thunder.' 



The vertebra marked / is called the ' atlas,' be- 

 cause in man this vertebra supports the head, as the 

 mythical giant Atlas was said to support the earth ; 

 while g is called the ' axis,' because it is so con- 

 structed as to enable the animal to turn its head. 



These seven vertebras are represented on a larger 

 scale in the illustration on page 8. The reader 

 will observe that the bones are furnished with pro- 

 jections. These are intended partly for the attach- 

 ment of the muscles, and partly for the branches of 

 the great ligament that runs over the back of the 

 neck and supports the head. This ligament and its 

 attachments will be seen when we treat of the neck 

 in connection with the bearing rein. 



Next come the eighteen vertebras of the back, or 

 ' dorsal ' vertebras, each having a long flattened pro- 

 cess. The reader will notice that some of these 

 processes lean backwards, while others are directed 

 forwards. Between them are several which are up- 

 right, and upon them is the proper place for the 

 saddle. 



Then there are the six vertebras of the loins 

 {lumbar vertebrce), followed by six vertebras called 



