DEPRESSION OF NECK, 365 



This exercise, being often rej)eated, will soon give supple- 

 ness to the elevating muscles of the neck, which plaj a promi- 

 nent part in the resistances of the horse, and will farther facili- 

 tate the direct flexions and the getting the head in position, 

 which should follow the lateral flexions. The man can execute 

 this, as well as the preceding exercise, by himself ; yet it would 

 be well to put a second person in the saddle, in order to accus- 

 tom the horse to the exercise of the supp lings with a rider. JThis 

 rider should just hold the snafiie-reins, without drawing on them, 

 in his right hand, the nails downward. 



The flexions of the jaw will have already communicated 

 suppleness to the upper part of the neck, but we have obtained 

 it by means of a powerful and direct motive power, and we 

 must accustom the horse to yield to a less direct regulating 

 force. Furthermore, it is desirable that the pliability and flexi- 

 bility, especially necessary in the upper part of the neck, should 

 be transmitted throughout its whole extent, so as entirely to 

 destroy its rigidity. 



The force from above downward, practised with the snafile, 

 acting only by the head-stall on the top of the head, often takes 

 too long to make the horse lower his head. In this case, we 

 must cross the two snafile reins by taking the left rein in the 

 right, and the right rein in the left hand, about six or seven 

 inches from the horse's mouth, in such a way as to cause a pretty 

 strong pressure upon the chin. This force, like all the others, 

 must be continued until the horse yields. The flexions being 

 repeated with this more powerful agent, will put him in a con- 

 dition to respond to the means previously indicated. K the 

 horse resj)onded to the first flexions represented by Figure 4, it 

 would be unnecessary to make use of this one. (Figure 5). 



"We can act directly on the jaw so as to render it 2)rompt in 

 moving. In order to do this, we take the left curb-rein about 

 six inches from the horse's mouth, and draw it straight towards 

 the left shoulder ; at the same time we draw the left rein of the 

 snaflEle forward, in such a way that the wrists of the p^'son 

 holding the two reins shall be opposite and on a level with each 

 other. The two opposed forces will soon cause a separation of 

 the jaws, and end all resistance. The force ought always to be 

 proportioned to that of the horse, whether in his resistance, or in 



