Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-24
The Horses Neck and Bearing eins.

The Horses Neck and Bearing-Re
The Rev. J. G. Wood, in Good Wo k.
Fast thou given the horse strength
Hast thou clothed his neck with thun-
DER" Who can be insensibIe 10 The
magnificent ulterances which, even in q
language incapable of rendering the full
beauty OF the original tongue, throw AL
your modern poetry into the shade. Yet
man seems to think that The Creators
idea OF the horses necS was very i'm
perfect one, and just as he neulrallzes
by iron shoes the natural elasticity OF
the hoof, he by means of various con-
triysnces renders nugatory the exquisite
mechanism OF the bones, muscles, and
ligamenls from the neck 20 the shoulder.
| wonder whether any OF our readers
have ever thought about the structures
which enable the horse to hold It's head
up without fatigue. We could not do it,
and il We were placed on all fours We
should soon find our heads dropping
from sheer fatigue. In orderto see how
this is accomplished, We must make a
VI IllC I1i5C hCCh. II VIC
place a hand on the back OF our neck
and bend the head forward, We shall
feel a strong ligament. II the skin be
removed IRON the neck OF human be
ing, this ligament is seen to be cord-like,
and not to present any very remarkable
popularity OF structure. In the horse,
however, it is developed into a most
wonderful elastic mechanism. Tapping
over the back of the neck, it throws out
set of projections, each OF which Is
fastened to one of the yertebrae OF the
neck IN such q manner tnat it works
simultaneously with the others, Thus,
the animal can toss or shake IFS head,
turn it round to its TANKS, or depress
it to It's knees, the powerful and highly
elastic ligament permitting all these
movements, and by their own residence
restoring the head and neck to their
normal position when the muscles are
relaxed. The weight of the head and
neck is very considerable, and by their
movements the balance of the body IL
materially aided, E. 9, in walking up a
very steep hill, the hOl Sc, when at llber,y,
throws his head and neck well forward,
so as to keep the weight rs much as
possible in front Of the iore-Ieet. In de-
scending the same hill, the horse holds
his head and neck as far back as he can,
80 as to throw the weight against the
fore-feet. Man, however, is pleased to
fancy that this freedom OF action looks
mean and spirltless, and that a horse
ought 10 hold mis- head up, no matter
whether he is ascending or descending a.
hill, standing still, walking, trotting, or
gallopiDg. His model seems to be the
wooden horse OF the toy-shops. and the
nearer approach that he can make 10
the stiff rigidity of the toy-horSe the
better is he pleased. As if 10 increase
the resemblance, he even crts the name
short, "hogs" it, as the expression is, so.
as to make it look like the strip OF fur
glued on the neck OF the wooden horse.
So, besides the reins, he attaches to the
BIT leathern strip called the bearing
rein''-I suppose b cause it is hat Tor
the horse TO bear-and fastens it to the
saddle, so as to render the animal in
capable of lowering its head beyond a
certain point, according to the length OF
the rein. Not content with this, a still
more severe instrument wos vented,
and is known by the pane o. gag,
or Bedouin, uearing-rein.