20 FORM AND ACTION. 



head in ; in a race-horse the same appears to be attended, in his 

 speed at least, with advantage. 



The most undesirable form of neck of all others is what is called 

 the ewe neck. Very often this is a natural deformity, appearing to 

 consist in extension of the dip or reversed arc* of the cervical por- 

 tion of the spine : oftener, however, I believe, it will be found to 

 owe its production to the harsh and fruitless efforts of art " to get 

 the head up or in," when the neck is of that description that will 

 not, naturally, admit of it. Such constrained erect position of the 

 neck and head is not only exceeding unsightly, but is irksome to 

 the horse, and to his rider as well, who has, by continual workings 

 with his bridle-hand, to keep the head in this forced erect posture. 

 It is of no use trying by bitting or riding, or any course of manege, 

 to alter a natural ewe-neck : no pains or perseverance can ever 

 render a horse so formed pleasant to ride. 



THE HEAD. 



" The head of a horse should be narrow, lean, and not too long ; but the prin- 

 cipal matter to be observed respecting it, is, that it is well united with the 

 neck, that so the horse may be enabled to bring it into a good position : 

 and the best position in which a horse can possibly hold his head is such 

 an one as is perfectly perpendicular from the brow to the ground, so that, 

 were a plummet to be suspended from that part, it would just raze or 

 touch the nose. Every horse that has too large a head is apt to bear too 

 hard on the bridle, which not only tires the rider's hand very much, but 

 exposes both to several very disagreeable accidents ; and, besides, a large 

 headed horse cannot appear to any advantage unless he has a very long 

 and well-turned neck." — Farriers' Dictionary. 



The spine affords us an example of a structure both supporting 

 and supported : at its fore extremity the head is supported by it ; 

 at its hind, the tail ; in the middle it supports the chest; while it- 

 self is supported by the fore and hind limbs. The head appended 

 to the extremity of the vertebral chain is mechanically operating by 

 its gravity the same as any dead weight placed at the end of a long 

 lever; for which reason, though a long neck is per se objectionable, 

 yet are there, as we have seen, some circumstances which may 

 tend to mitigate, and others that will tend to nullify, these objec- 



* Already described at page 10. 



