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Reading-Course for Farmers. 



The bit and the bridle 



A responsive mouth contributes much to the efficiency and safety 

 of the horse. It is important, therefore, that the horse's mouth remain, 

 unspoiled. A good mouth is to a large extent natural to a horse, and 

 if properly treated will remain good. When one recalls the extreme 

 tenderness of the mouth, the cruel manner in which it is often bitted, 



the irritation from 

 the sores, he can 

 understand why a 

 horse may lag behind 

 till the parts become 

 numbed, then begin 

 to pull, holding the 

 head to one side, going 

 with mouth open, 

 lolling the tongue, 

 slobbering, tossing the 

 head , crossing the jaws 

 and in many other 

 ways showing evi- 

 dence of the discom- 

 fort he is suffering. 



The bit. — Bits of 

 many types have been 

 devised to meet the 

 various and peculiar 

 habits of horses, most 

 of which have been 

 designed to punish the horse and irritate the sensitive parts. With 

 the punishment of the whip at the rear and a harsh and severe bit at 

 the front the horse is between two fires, and if he does not balk, rear, 

 plunge, or run away he is exceptional. 



A good-sized straight bit covered with leather or rubber, if the mouth 

 is tender, cannot be improved upon in most cases. One must be care- 

 ful to get a bit of the proper length for the horse's mouth. Many bits 

 are too long and are pulled out of adjustment in the horse's mouth 

 so that the pressure on either side is not equal. The bit must be of 

 the proper length and properly adjusted. 



Some horses work better with the jointed or snaffle-bit. It gives 

 more room for the tongue, and the pressure is more evenly distributed 



59 — Types of bits, i, 2, j, 4, 5, common straight 



' ir.. 

 bits; 6, 7', 8, g, 10, commofi snaffle bits; 

 14, various makes of severe bits 



II, 12, 13, 



