By Eduardo Amaya Referring to the horse's mouth, on the one hand, means taking into account its anatomy and its function as the beginning of the digestive system, and on the other hand its reaction towards different stimulus coming directly from the rider's hand.
This part of the horse has been given relative importance. I believe
that this has to do with the fact that it is a dark place that instills fear
or at least respect, and anyone who explores it is exposed to an accident,
or simply because its appearance is all we notice.
The elements that constitute its mouth form a cavity or cave with a
palate as the roof, a tongue as the floor, and as a result its walls would
be the branches of its jaw with its bars as well as its corresponding dental
pieces.
The horse's tongue, as well as the bars to a lesser degree, are the most
sensitive parts when there is any pressure on the bit or the snaffle-bit.
The key to understanding the effect the latter produce on the horse's mouth,
considering the anatomy of the tongue, head and neck, as well as the front
part of the body which directs every movement, can be explained as follows:
It is common knowledge that the tongue partly rests between the bones that
form the jaw, and to be more precise, between the dental rows (incisors,
canines, premolars and molars) and on the floor of the mouth.
Some of the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the tongue are connected to
the hyoid bone. This is where one of the muscles goes towards the sternum
(sternum hyoid) and the other goes towards the shoulder (homohyoid), thus
establishing a direct connection between the tongue, the sternum and the
shoulder.
Consequently, if the horse feels tension on its tongue there will be tension
all the way down to the sternum and towards the shoulder on the entire lower
part of the neck where relaxation is what is really needed.
Whenever there is tension on the sternum the horse cannot lift its back nor
use a series of muscles that connect the back of its neck to its tail.
(continued)
Judy
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