CHAPTER IV 

 The Mouth and Aids 



It is one of the first qualifications for a horse to 

 have a good mouth, otherwise he will not respond to 

 the aids during either riding, driving, or leading. 



When a horse has what is popularly known as a 

 " hard " mouth, he makes riding or driving, as the 

 case may be, a labour, instead of a pleasant recreation. 

 There can be no doubt that one of the chief causes of 

 this hardness of mouth is through faulty horsemanship 

 during the time of, or subsequent to, the breaking in 

 of the animal. 



For riding or driving, the hand should possess an 

 exquisite degree of sensibility and delicacy. 



The mouth is lined by delicate epithelium, which, 



