THE HORSE'S MOUTH 



The discussion of the subject of the horse's 

 mouth has been prompted by observing the 

 thoughtlessness and carelessness of otherwise 

 good horsemen and lovers of horseflesh with re- 

 gard to the horse's mouth. If a horse has a sore 

 mouth he manifests it in some way unpleasant to 

 his driver or rider, but it is rarely that an exami- 

 nation of that organ is made in order to deter- 

 mine the nature and extent of the trouble. Such 

 an examination is not difficult to make by one 

 at all accustomed to the handling of horses, and 

 can be made as follows: Take the horse into a 

 place in which the light is good. To examine 

 the near side of the mouth, pass the left hand into 

 the off side of it, grasp the tongue gently, and 

 pull it a little to one side — it is not necessary to 

 pull it out of the mouth — ^in order to expose the 

 branch of the lower jaw, or bar, as it is some- 

 times called. The thumb of the right hand 

 should be placed in the roof of the mouth so as 

 to separate the jaws, when the part that the 

 mouthpiece of the bit presses on can be easily 



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