68 ATTITUDES OF THE HORSE, 



over which he is about to go, we should allow him, or 

 endeavour to induce him, to carry his head at an angle of 

 about 45'' to it. A more perpendicular carriage of the head 

 would be permissible only for school work, or for evolutions 

 in which freedom of movement has, to some extent, to 

 be sacrificed for obtaining thorough power of control. If 

 the angle which the face makes with the ground be much 

 less than 45°, the animal will not be able to see where he 

 is going. 



(2) To permit of free movement of the fore limbs. — My 

 readers will remember that the shoulder-blade of the horse, 

 on each side, is connected to the body by muscles which 

 allow it to work backward and forward on the chest. The 

 shoulder-blade and humerus (Fig. 12) being drawn forward and 

 upward by muscles of the neck ; it follows that the direction of 

 this pull will be regulated, to a great extent, by the direction 

 in which the horse carries his head. Hence, if we require 

 ** lofty " shoulder action, we must get him to carry his head 

 comparatively high. If he carries it low, only a slight 

 uwpard lift can be given to the shoulders. In such a 

 case, to make up for want of shoulder action, the horse 

 will probably increase his knee action, which is obtained 

 by muscles that have no power to move the shoulders. 

 Thus, we may see a horse who has free shoulder action and 

 gallops with a straight knee when he carries his head fairly 

 high, go in a ** round *' and cramped style, if he be permitted 

 or induced to carry his head low down. I may here explain 

 (as we may see by reference to the figures in Chapter XII.) 

 that in all paces, and especially in fast ones, in order to obtain 

 good forward reach, it is requisite that the fore limb should be 

 drawn upwards as well as forwards. The defect, as regards 

 want of safety, in the fore feet not being lifted sufficiently 

 off the ground by the play of the shoulder, may be con^- 

 pensated for by increased knee action, which, however, 

 will have no effect in lengthening the stride ; but will, in 

 causing loss of time in putting down the fore feet, tend to 

 diminish the speed. As practical points directly connected 



