look of it; but, until this is the case, the noseband is most valuable as a means of preventing the animal from opening its mouth too wide and bolting the bit, or catching hold of it between its teeth-in fact, evading its action in one way or the other. It is very evident that we have by degrees got rid of the noseband because we did not understand its proper use; and, when coupled with the monstrous bits we are in the habit of using, it may have been found sometimes a positive inconvenience; but any one that pays even a slight attention to this matter will find the noseband invaluable in the early stages of bitting. It must, however, be put in the proper place that is to say, just across the nose at the point where the bone ceases and the cartilage commences; and it should always be buckled so lightly as to admit of a proper amount of free motion.

We may now wind up this chapter with the rules for placing the bit in the horse's mouth. When the headstall has been adapted generally to the animal's head by means of the upper buckle or buckles, the next step will be to adjust the bit by means of the lower ones, so that the mouthpiece shall come to rest on the bars of the mouth exactly opposite the chingroove, unless, indeed, some irregular disposition of the tusks should render this impossible, in which case it must be moved only just so much higher as is absolutely necessary to clear the obstacle. The curb may be then hooked in, first, of course, at the off side, leaving one reserve link, then at the near side, leaving two such, and taking care that it lies quite flat in the chingroove, without any even the slightest tendency to mount upwards when the reins are drawn. The curb

should never be quite tight; there should always be room for the first and second fingers of the right hand to pass flat between it and the chin; and by gently pulling the reins with the left hand whilst the two fingers of the right are in this position, it will be easy to ascertain whether any pinching action occurs, in which case there is sure to be something wrong.

As to the measure of the proper length of the curb, we have already stated it generally; but each individual case will require a separate adjustment, and if the links be either very large or very small, it will sometimes occur that the difference of one of these will make the curb either too tight or too loose; we must then, of course, try another curb. If the bit is rigid or stands stiff on the reins being drawn gently, the curb will be too short; and on the pressure being increased, the horse will almost certainly either turn his mouth askew to avoid the griping action of the mouthpiece, or bear back suddenly to escape it altogether: we therefore give him another link, and drawing the reins gently as before, we observe whether, after the lower bar has moved through an angle of about eight degrees-bringing the mouthpiece just to meet, as it were, the interior of the mouth-the horse gives his head gently and gradually in the direction of your hand as it increases the pressure, without either poking his nose or shrinking back. If this be the case you are all right; but if the lower bar moves through a much greater angle than the above-say fifteen to twenty degrees-before the horse yields perceptibly, then your curb will be probably too long.

We say probably, because you may, after shortening and lengthening the curb once or twice, find that the

horse will avoid the bit in the first case or remain insensible to it in the second-in fact, you discover that the mouthpiece is unsuited; therefore, in adjusting the length of the curb, you must take care to avoid drawing your conclusions too hastily. When you come to a hitch of this kind, lift up the horse's upper lip gently with your left thumb so as to get a view of the interior of his mouth, whilst you draw the reins with the right hand so as to see how the mouthpiece lies, whether too much or too little of its pressure falls on the tongue-in fact, whether the mouthpiece is not in in fault; but this requires some experience, and perhaps the help of an instrument, of which we shall have to speak in the next chapter.

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And now a word as to the bridoon. This is, in the first place, an aid in the early stages of training to facilitate the transition from the snaffle to the curbed bit; and in proportion as the young horse becomes familiar with the latter it is gradually laid aside, and then becomes a second string to the bow" in case of any accident happening to the bit or its reins. Nothing is, however, commoner than to see amongst ourselves these its well-understood uses completely reversed, and people riding about our streets and parks holding on like grim death by the bridoon-reins, whilst those belonging to the bit dangle about the horse's neck, to be caught up all of a sudden if the horse makes a bolt. Now this simply proves that the bit is either so monstrous in itself, or so absurdly placed in the horse's mouth, that the rider is afraid to use it; in many cases, too, his own seat is so unsteady, and he depends so much on the reins for support, that the best-fitting bit in the world would be useless or dangerous in his

hands. If those who really can ride would only bit their horses properly, they might take the bit-rein in their hands without any difficulty-nay, with great advantage to themselves, and we should see fewer broken knees than at present; for it is frequently owing to the slovenly way of shuffling along close to the ground, which horses ridden altogether on the bridoon acquire, that these are owing. As to the other class of would-be riders, it will perhaps be better for them to take to the snaffle exclusively, if they do not prefer a Pelham, which we, however, do not recommend.

The bridoon being, as we have said, an aid, or “a second string to the bow," should never interfere with the bit; therefore it should be neither too thick nor so absurdly long as it sometimes is; and instead of hanging down in the horse's mouth so as to impede the action of the bit, it should be drawn up so as to fit lightly into the angles of the lips without disturbing the natural position of the latter: here it will be out of the way and still perfectly available when needed.

To conclude, lightness, accuracy, easy motion, a total absence of stiffness, constraint, or painful action, are the characteristics of good bitting; and if these be attained, ready obedience to the rider's hand and heel will be the result.

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CHAPTER V.

TAKING MEASURE FOR THE BIT-THE MOUTH-GAUGETHE TRIAL-BIT.

ALTHOUGH We have given above a certain number of permanent dimensions, or such as are nearly so, for the bit, there still remains a certain number of variable ones which must be ascertained in each individual case—that is to say, the width of the mouth, on which so much depends; that of the tongue-channel, nearly equally important; and, finally, the relative thickness of the tongue, which latter, however, just because it is relative, is not susceptible of direct measurement.

For those who have had much experience in this detail, the width of the mouth, and consequently that of the mouthpiece, may be ascertained with sufficient accuracy by putting any bit that is not too small into the horse's mouth, and, whilst holding it gently up to one side of the mouth, measuring off with a small rule divided into inches and eighths or tenths how much of the mouthpiece, if any, protrudes beyond the side of the lips on the other side; if we then deduct this amount from the actual dimensions of the mouthpiece we at once ascertain what those of the bit we seek should be: but it requires some practice to enable one to do this accurately.