196 MODERN FAREIEK. 



jStgure is bad, his sight is too near his toes^ he leans 

 on the bridle, and you have no command over him. 

 If he goes pressing but lightly on the bridle, he is 

 the more sure-footed, and goes pleasanter, as your 

 wrist only may guide him. If he hangs down his 

 head, and makes you support the weight of that and 

 his neck with your arms, bearing on his fore-legs 

 (which is called being on his shoulders), he will 

 strike his toes against the ground, and stumble. 



If your horse is heavy upon the bit, tie him eveiy 

 day, for an hour or two, with his tail to the manger, 

 and his head as high as you can make him lift it, by 

 a rein on each post of the stall, tied to each ring of 

 the snaffle bit. iAW 



Horse-breakers and grooms have a great propen- 

 sity to bring a horse's head down, and seem to have 

 no seat without a strong hold by the bridle. They 

 know indeed that the head should yield to the reins, 

 and his neck form an arch; but do not take the 

 proper pains to make it an arch upward. A tem- 

 porary effect of attempting to raise a horse's head, 

 may perhaps be making him push out his nose. 

 They will here tell you, that his head is too high 

 already; whereas it is not the distance from Ms 

 nose, but from the top of his head to the ground, 

 which determines the head to be high or low. Be- 

 sides, although the fault is said to be in the manner 

 of carrying the head, it should rather be said to be 

 in that of the neck ; for if the neck was raised, the 

 head would be more in the position of one set on a 

 well-formed neck. 



The design, therefore, of lifting up the head is to 

 raise the neck, and therehij bring in the head ; for 

 i even while the bridle makes the same line from the 

 ^ rider's hand to the bit, the horse's nose may be 

 , either drawn in, or thrust out, according as his neck 

 (ris raised or depressed. Instead of what has been 

 inhere recommended, we usually see colts hi'oke witli 

 tlieir heads ciayessoned very low, their necks stiff. 



