3i 



For a due comprehension of the shape and action of the horse, the 

 rider should possess a thorough acquaintance with the arrangement and 

 position of the bones and their relation to one another. 



The osseous framework or skeleton of the horse must therefore be 

 attentively studied. The importance of this study cannot be too strongly 

 insisted upon, for without a knowledge of the bones, the precise situa. 

 tion of the muscles cannot be determined or their action on the limbs 

 properly understood. 



The series of bones comprised in the skeleton may be conveniently 

 divided into four groups; the first comprehending the bones of the head, 

 the second the vertebrae, the third the trunk and the fourth the bones of 

 the limbs. 



The bones of the head may be divided into those of the cranium and 

 the face. The cranial bones include all those which cover or inclose the 

 brain, they are for most part arranged in pairs, one on each side of the 



mesial line of the skull. The frontal or bone of the forehead (d) forms 

 the broad flat surface between the eyes and extends with a narrowing 

 outline toward the top of the head. Considerable difference in the width 

 of this bone may be noticed in various horses, a^xd it will generally be 

 found that the broad and ample forehead is a mark of high breeding and 

 superior intelligence. The parietal (V) extends backwards from the 

 frontal to the poll, it has a ridge or crest of great strength and hardness 

 along the upper surface, from which the bone slopes down like a roof on 

 each side, covering the brain, which it is mainly concerned in protecting. 

 Immediately behind the parietal and covering the entire back of the 

 head is the occipital (a) a bone whose position exposes it to greater strain, 

 than any other of the component parts of the skull are liable to. The 

 occipital has to support the whole weight of the head, which is articu- 

 ated by two round protuberances or condyles at the base of this bone, 



