86 A TTITUDES OF THE HORSE. 



Speed during progression {see p. 67). Hence, the race- 

 horse, when galloping at full speed, will bring his head 

 forward as much as the other conditions which affect its 

 carriage will allow him to do. As I have before remarked, 

 the angle which his face makes with the ground will seldom 

 be less, even at the highest speed, than 45°. The cart-horse, 

 if he has good foot-hold, will also, when pulling a heavy load, 

 lower his head and stretch it out, so as to bring the centre 

 of gravity forward as much as possible. Here I assume 

 that the ground is soft enough to allow him to " dig his 

 toes " into it, or, if it be rough, that he is provided with 

 toe-pieces on his front shoes. If, on the contrary, the 

 roadway is slippery, like the London streets which are 

 covered with asphalte or wood, the cart-horse in heavy 

 draught, being afraid of falling down if he throws his weight 

 into the collar, will try to keep the centre of gravity back by 

 holding his head high, while trusting almost entirely to his 

 hind legs to push the body forward. When a horse rears, 

 halts suddenly, or reins back in heavy draught {see p. 119), 

 he will raise his head and neck so as to bring the centre 

 of gravity back. Any one who has ridden much " over 

 a country," will know the great use a horse makes of his 

 head and neck for regulating the position of his centre of 

 gravity when jumping, and especially when he makes a 

 " mistake." When a horse turns, or " circles," he ought to 

 have his head and neck bent in the direction he is going, 

 in order to see where he is proceeding, and to increase his 

 stability by shifting the centie of gravity towards the side 

 to which the turn is being made. 



(4) To enable the Mouth-piece of the Snaffle to act effi- 

 ciently on the '■'bars'' of the Mouth. — I may explain that 



