A Good Mouth 57 



horse to the uses of the bit while suffering from sore 

 mouth. Such an examination is not difficult. Place 

 the horse where there is good hght. To examine 

 the left side, pass the left hand into the right side 

 of the mouth, grasp the tongue gently, and pull it 

 to one side, but not out of the mouth, which will 

 expose the bar, or branch of the lower jaw on the 

 left side. The thumb of the right hand may now 

 be placed in the roof of the mouth so as to separate 

 the jaws, when the left side of the mouth may be 

 observed. The other side should be examined in 

 a similar way. 



Importance of a good mouth. — No factor contributes 

 so much to the pleasure, comfort and safety of either 

 rider or driver as a responsive mouth — one that 

 always obeys promptly the slightest instruction 

 from the master. A good mouth — one with sen- 

 sitive bars — is natural to the horse. ^^ Tender," 

 ^^hard," and all kinds of '^ spoiled" mouths result 

 from improper handling. Such spoiled mouths 

 arevery aggravating and often the cause of many 

 other imperfections — tongue lolling, crossing the 

 jaws, hobbling, kicking, balking, running away and 

 the Hke — many of which when well established 

 are very difficult to overcome (p. 249). 



Bitting the horse. — The object of correct bitting 

 is to preserve, instead of diminish, the natural sensi- 

 tiveness of the bars of the horse's mouth. The kind 

 of bit to use, therefore, is important. Because of 



