THE MOUTH. 97 



being easily acted upon by the bridle ; but it is a 

 point of the utmost importance in a hunter. With- 

 out it, in short, he is absolutely dangerous to ride ; 

 for although the skill and power o£ his rider may 

 prevent his running away, yet he is always in dan- 

 ger of being placed in some unpleasant situation or 

 other by him. In the first place, he cannot be a 

 large fencer, nor safe at all sorts of leaps, if he will 

 not suffer his rider to pull him together, to collect 

 him for the effort of rising at them. Secondly, he 

 is as dangerous in going through gates, only partly 

 opened. Thirdly, if the horse immediately before 

 him should fall at a leap, he is very apt to leap 

 upon him, or his rider ; and, lastly, his strength is 

 sooner exhausted than that of a horse, perhaps not 

 naturally so good, which is going quietly, and 

 within himself, by his side. 



JNo doubt many of the ancient writers were good 

 judges of horses, although they were deficient, com- 

 pared with the moderns, in availing themselves of 

 their highest capabilities. Were a purchaser of 

 a hunter to look no further than the first chapter 

 of Xenophon 'tts^i i'Trmxyjg, he would find hints that 

 would be well worthy his attention ; and nothing 

 can be more expressive of the evils attending a bad 

 mouth, in a horse of this description, than the fol- 

 lowing sentence from Pliny, " Equi sine frsenis de- 

 formis ipse cursus, rigida cervice, et extento capite, 

 currentium," which may be thus translated : The 

 career of a horse without a bridle is disagreeable, 

 carrying his neck stiff, and his nose in the air. 

 When we consider how often it is necessary to 



