128 BITS AND BITTING. 



in truth, more depends on the way in which the head 

 is set on to the neck, the make and proportions of the 

 latter, and the facility thereby afforded for assuming a 

 great variety of positions, than on the absolute size of 

 the head itself. 



Generally speaking, all our British breeds have well- 

 formed and well-proportioned limbs. Irish horses, how- 

 ever, have frequently large ones, and what is of still 

 greater importance, peculiarities of conformation which, 

 in consequence of ignorance and injudicious management, 

 sometimes tend directly to produce restiveness, or other 

 equally unpleasant results. 



It will be well at this point to call attention to a very 

 simple mechanical principle connected with lever-action 

 namely, that the effect produced depends not only on 

 the absolute power applied, but also on the direction in 

 which this is done. For instance, considering the horse's 

 head as a lever which is to act on the neck and bring it 

 towards the rider's hand, it is very evident that if the 

 former be so stretched out as to form, as it were, a 

 continuation of the latter, as we see race horses coming 

 into the post, there is, in fact, no lever- action whatever. 

 In the same manner, if we can imagine the horse's chin 

 to be brought under, so as to touch his neck, there would 

 be very little, if any, lever-action. This is greatest when 

 the head is at a right-angle with the neck ; and the more 

 it departs from this line either forwards, when the 

 animal pokes out its nose or to the rear, when, in 

 consequence of severe bitting, or other causes to which 

 we shall presently advert, it touches its breast with its 

 chin the less will be the useful lever-action on the 

 neck. 



In fact, we always see runaway horses assume either 



