CHAPTER III. 
THE MOUTH—ITS ACCIDENTS AND ITS DISEASES. 
EXCORIATED ANGLES OF THE MOUTH. 
LET no man punishahorse for want of obedience; the sole use of the 
creature and its only delight is to obey. Let no person abuse it for 
having a hard mouth, or for not answering to the rein. Man had the 
formation of the mouth, and its condition can be no fault in the pos- 
sessor; the horse’s pleasure is the gratification of its master. Observe 
the antics of the nag thoroughly trained and perfectly up to the rider’s 
point of jockeyship. Does not every fiber seem to quiver with excess of 
happiness? There is a tacit understanding between man and horse; the 
pretty arts and graceful prancings of the animal tell how joyful it is 
made by the conviction that it is sharing man’s amusement. But let 
the equestrian dismount, and another, above or below the horse’s educa- 
tional point, assume the saddle, that understanding no longer exists. 
The harmony is destroyed; there is no intelligence between horse and 
man. All the playfulness disappears; the entire aspect of the animal 
is changed, and it sinks to a commonplace “ugly brute.” 
The majority of drivers are very particular about the horse’s mouth ; 
yet they all abuse the animal as though it was their desire to destroy 
that which each professes to admire. Every supposed error is punished 
with the lash, but the whip can convey no idea; the lash does not in- 
struct the animal; beat a horse all day, and it will only be stupid at sun- 
set. All the horse can comprehend from the smart is a desire that the 
pace should be quickened; that wish it endeavors to comply with. The 
person who guides the vehicle generally becomes fanatic at such perver- 
sity; he begins “jagging” and “sawing” the reins. The iron is vio- 
lently pulled against the angles of the mouth, or rapidly passes from one 
side to the other. Would the owner or driver take the trouble to instruct 
his dumb servant in his wishes, the poor drudge would rejoice to exhibit 
its accomplishments. But no information is communicated by first 
urging and then checking; the timidity is increased by the one, the 
angles of the mouth are excoriated by the other. 
Ladies’ horses invariably have admirable mouths; ladies generally are 
very poor equestrians, yet they encounter few accidents. Men, who ride 
better, are oftener thrown and hurt. The gentleness of the woman, or 
the sympathy existing between two gentle beings, produces this effect 
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