HANDBOOK 0¥ THE TUilE. 235 



Skittish. Said of a horse that shies ; is disposed to 

 start quickly, and at times to run; is over -timid; tricky; 

 deceitful in action. Skittishness is a vice. 



Slew ; Slue. The turning of a body upon an axis within 

 its own tigure ; to swing around ; the outward motion of a sulky 

 wheel in going rapidly around the curves of a track. 



Sling". A device in which to suspend a horse in case of 

 broken or injured limbs, where it is necessary to take all the 

 weight of the body from off the feet. 



Slip-liiin. A term used to describe the act of giving a 

 horse his head ; letting him out ; the opposite from pulled. 



Slow Track. A track is said to be slow when from any 

 cause horses cannot make their usual speed upon it ; a heavy 

 track. This slowness may result from some peculiarity of con- 

 struction, or kind of soil that renders it slow at all times ; or it 

 may be temporarily slow, although a good track, from poor 

 drainage, and being heavy from rain. 



Slow Trot. A trot in which the undulations are greater 

 than in the fast trot, and therefore one very hard for the rider. 

 These slow undulations diminish as the speed is increased. 



Smell. The sense of smell in the horse is one which is 



most acutely developed ; and many good students of the horse 



are of the opinion that this sense has far more to do with his 



general intelligence and ability for education than any special 



endowment of brain power. 



Contioisseurs in horse flesh prefer plenty of space between the eyes, 

 and some even go so tar as to say that a broad forelieail is indica- 

 tive of intelligence; but as tliis part of the bone does not cover the 

 brain, (tue seal, of intelligence,) it is hard to conceive liow its shape 

 cm control sucli an important feature in an animal. When the 

 space between the eyes is well developed that portion of the 

 interior of tiie head to which the nerve of special sense of smell is 

 distributed would naturally be larger in proportion, on that account 

 the smelling power of the animal with tlie broad forehead may be 

 increased; and if it be true that the horse is capable of judging of 

 the quality of things by their odour, we can then explain why the 

 horse with the broad forehead and well developed organs of special 

 sense of smell, may appear more intelligent than his less fortunate 

 neighbor with the narrow one.— E. A. A. Grange, V. S., Michigan 

 Agricultural College Experiment Station. 



Snaffle. A bridle having one plain bit, jointed or stiff, 



and one pair of reins, without guards. Its action is to restrain 



the horse by pressure on his tongue, bars of his mouth, (the 



part of his gums which are between the tushes and grinders), 



and the corners of the mouth. It is simple in its operation 



and less apt to confuse the horse than any other bit used. 



The snaffle, in its various sizes and forms is the most useful bit, and 

 were I restricted to one pattern that would be the one chosen.— 

 Horse Portraiture, Joseph Cairn Simpson, 



