BRIDLES 321 



BRIDLES 



There is A^T almost IXfInite variety in the make of bits, but nearly all 

 may be reduced to three leading principles — namely, the snaffle, the cui-b, 

 and the combination of the two in one bit, as in the Pelham, whether of the 

 ordinary or Hanoverian kinds. The double-reined bridle may either be 

 fitted with a snaffle and curb, or with a Pelham. 



Among the various kinds of snaffles, with the exception of the gag, 

 which I shall presently describe, all are intended to bear chiefly on the jaw, 

 slightly relieved by the angles of the mouth. "When, however, the jaws are 

 so narrow that they cannot be bent on the neck, or when the rider's hands 

 are carried so high that the line of the reins is across the angles, these latter 

 parts take all the bearing, and the horse yaws about with his mouth wide 

 open. Without good hands the tendency of the snaffle is always to get the 

 head up with the nose out, and with them this bit never offers any obstacle 

 to the straight carriage of the neck which is wanted to admit of free respir- 

 ation at high speed. Hence the snaffle is universally employed in racing 

 and hunting, for even when a Pelham is used, the one rein acts upon the 

 bit exactly as in the common snaffle. The difference between this and the 

 curb consists in the fact that the former can rarely be made to interfere 

 with a horse's action either in the gallop or the leap, while the latter 

 should never be employed at a fast pace except to keep the animal from 

 over-tasking himself, since it always has a tendency to bend the neck too 

 much for the development of high speed or jumping power. Hence the 

 snaffle may with many sober horses be used alone, but as a rule the curb 

 should never be so employed. In the hunting-field no one who is not possessed 

 of great strength of arm should trust any but a horse whose sobriety of 

 temper is well known, without a double-reined bridle. It is true that there 

 are many which will go well in a snaffle on smooth turf or light arable land 

 where there are no ridges, but when they come to deep ground or high 

 ridges, or when it is necessary to jump into an orchard or plantation, a 

 means of holding the horse well together is required in the former case, 

 while in the latter, if it is not possessed, a dangerous or fatal blow may 

 easily be received before the horse can be stopped after coming down from 

 his leap. In defining the snaffle, it may be described as consisting of a 

 ring on each side the mouth to which the rein is attached, connected 

 together by one or two mouthpieces, which may be variously jointed in the 

 middle, or may be without any break, which last is not always called a 

 •snaffle, but bears the name of a straight bit. Thus it is subdivided into the 

 following : — 



1. The plain snaffle. 



2. The twisted snaffle. 



3. The snaffle with double mouthpiece. 



4. The chain snaffle. 



5. The double-jointed snaffle. 



6. The double ring snaffle. 



7. The gag snaffle. 



8. The un jointed snaffle. 



1. The plain snaffle is the most simple form of all, with the exception of 



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