CARRIAGE OF THE HEAD. 67 



in the horse by a ligament. Besides this, the muscles which 

 straighten the fore limb are not single, but multiple muscles, 

 one of which can take its turn at work, while its fellows rest. 

 This mechanism enables the horse to sleep standing 

 without extraneous support. It is clearly and exhaustively 

 described in Colin's Physiologic ComparSe. 



Carriage of the Head and Neck.— The attitude 

 which the head and neck assume is determined by the 

 following considerations : (i) For the horse to be able to see 

 in. the required direction. If we regard a horse that is 

 standing at attention (p. 62), and is looking straight in front 

 of him, we shall, as a rule, note that his neck is held in an 

 easy position, being neither stretched out nor drawn back, 

 and his head is placed so that the line of his face will make 

 an angle of about 45° to the ground. We may, therefore, 

 consider that the axis of each eye is at about that angle 

 to the line of the face. In man, the angle is about 90", 

 the difference between the two being chiefly one of brain 

 capacity. In the horse, the occipital crest, which is the 

 highest point of the horse's head, may be regarded as a 

 continuation of his forehead. In man, owing to the bulging- 

 out condition of the brain, it is placed at the back of the 

 head. When a horse wishes to take a good view of the 

 ground in front of him, he will, by the adjustment of his 

 neck, adopt a lofty carriage of the head, while keeping the line 

 of the face at an angle of about 45° to the ground. If he 

 requires his line of vision to be at about that angle to the 

 ground in order to see, for instance, an object six or seven 

 feet in front of his feet, he will bring the line of his face 

 perpendicular, or nearly so, to the ground. Of course, the 

 axes of the eyes can be altered, more or less, without the 

 head being moved ; but the horse possesses such mobility 

 of head and neck that, when he is free, he will adjust his 

 line of vision principally by the movement of these parts. 



It is therefore evident that if we want a horse, when 

 riding or driving him, to have a good look at the ground 



