8o THEORY OF MOUTHING. 



of the fore legs is somewhat checked by the legs being bent. 

 Neither for control nor for movement, is it well for the 

 head to be flexed to a greater extent than this. The 

 more the chin is drawn in beyond this limit, the more will 

 the pull of the reins be transferred (from the bars of the 

 lower jaw) to the poll of the animal's head ; the more oblique 

 will become the direction of the pressure of the mouthpiece 

 on the bars ; and the more will the horse be obliged to lower 

 his head, thereby unduly increasing the weight on the fore- 

 hand. Thus, by bringing his chin into his chest, the horse 

 (i) more or less deprives his rider of control over him ; 

 (2) disturbs the proper distribution of weight between his 

 fore and hind legs ; and (3) hampers the movements of 

 his fore limbs. 



Collecting the horse. — By the somewhat ill-defined 

 term, ''collecting the horse," I wish to express the act by 

 which the animal is made to bend his neck and bring his 

 hind legs under him ; so that his spinal column will be more 

 or less regularly arched, and his muscles will continue to 

 contract and relax at short and regular intervals. He will 

 then " play " with the bit by yielding his neck as well as 

 his jaw, and will advance his hind feet more under his body 

 than he usually does. When fully collected, he will be in 

 the best possible state of general readiness to perform any 

 legitimate form of work, such as going forward, reining back, 

 turning, circling, or leaping. In fact, he will be " bent " before 

 and behind, like a spring, with his forces collected together 

 and ready to be applied in any legitimate manner which his 

 rider may demand. As, by collecting the horse, we deprive 



