THE NECK AND HEAD. 57 



neck, and of course when acting draw these bones 

 upwards and backwards, there are positions, as for 

 example, when the horse during the act of leaping 

 a height is in a rearing attitude, and poising the 

 body the instant before taking the spring, when the 

 neck has to be drawn upwards and backwards, and 

 the muzzle drawn well in to the neck, in order that 

 the face may be conveniently situated for the animal 

 to look straight down upon the object to be leaped 

 over. In such a case the neck assum.es the most 

 marked double curve. The hindmost curve is 

 first produced in the way we have mentioned, 

 and the bones of it being fixed allows the 

 part to become a fulcrum for the muscles acting at 

 the lower side of the neck to draw the muzzle back- 

 wards. We have next the neck in one long curve, 

 and the head extended as w^hen the horse is feeding 

 out of a very high hay rack. Next we have 

 the neck straight and the head extended, as in 

 the race-horse during the hottest part of the race 

 Bearing the winning post, and, as we have seen, 

 the neck and head may be at rest and aluiost at 

 right angles. 



In our first lesson we saw that muscles, when in 

 the full enjoyment of their highest functions, were 

 said to be in tone. We have also seen in this les- 

 son that muscles alter the curv^e of the vertebral 

 column, more especially those parts of it forming 

 the neck and the tail, so that it follows as a corollary 

 that if the muscles of the neck habitually act in 



