So I think the “horse is likely to bite you if you’re looking in its mouth too closely” is an assumption we both had about this phrase. I grew up in the suburbs and rarely saw horses so I assumed this phrase was about it possibly bitting. However I now live in a more rural area and horses are pretty sweet and the only reason anyone looks in their mouth is to make sure they’re healthy or figure their age. I’m guessing you, like me, also grew up not around horses so we assumed the English version means something different than it probably did in the past when horses were common place.
So I think the “horse is likely to bite you if you’re looking in its mouth too closely” is an assumption we both had about this phrase. I grew up in the suburbs and rarely saw horses so I assumed this phrase was about it possibly bitting. However I now live in a more rural area and horses are pretty sweet and the only reason anyone looks in their mouth is to make sure they’re healthy or figure their age. I’m guessing you, like me, also grew up not around horses so we assumed the English version means something different than it probably did in the past when horses were common place.