THE REASONED EQUITATION 



mains straight and still, head and neck elevated, 

 without the help of snaffle or bit. 



As soon as this position of lightness is obtained, 

 comes the flexions of the jaw. The trainer, holding 

 as before the two snaffle reins, makes very light 

 oppositions, but without allowing the head or neck 

 to drop. Now begins the " fingering." By this I 

 mean the repeated, rhythmic opening and shut- 

 ting of the mouth : mouth shut, bit contact, fingers 

 closed on the reins; then mouth open and fingers 

 unclosed, the hand always at the same height. 



When the lower jaw is depressed squarely at the 

 effect of the snaffle, the trainer repeats the same 

 exercise, holding in each hand a rein of the snaffle 

 and one of the bit. The snaffle maintains the 

 position of head and neck, while the bit controls 

 the depression of the jaw. But the effect of the two, 

 especially of the snaffle, is peculiarly upon the atlo- 

 axoid articulation. 



But while this flexion is the most important of all, 

 it is nevertheless so entirely at the atlo-axoid joint 

 that the rhomboideus and mastoido-humeralis mus- 

 cles are so completely contracted that they do not, 

 in this condition, gain the development which is 

 desirable and which is so noticeable in the neck of 

 "Why-Not." 



For all this work, especially, I recommend 

 patience, perseverance, and slow advance. What 

 counts for the future is the quality of the perform- 

 ance. The quantity is a small and temporary matter. 



