XV. 



Instruction in the double bridle. — The instructor's first 

 care must be as to the manner in which the horses are 

 bitted. A mild curb bit should be selected; that is to say, 

 a bit with large cannons, a low port (only slightl}^ restrict- 

 ing the freedom of the tongue) and short branches. 

 The bit should be placed in the mouth high rather than 

 low and the curb chain should be left long so as to facili- 

 tate at first a swinging motion of the bit. When the 

 horses bear freely on the curb bit and when they submit 

 to this new mouthpiece just as they formerly received 

 the eft'ects of the snaffle, the curb bit may be lowered 

 to its proper place and the chain tightened to customary 

 tension. 



If the horse has a sensitive mouth, it is well to replace, 

 for a time, the ordinary curb by a broken curb.'^ The 

 latter gives a mouthpiece more severe than the snafile, 

 but milder than the curb and the horse also becomes 

 accustomed to the chain. The broken curb should be 

 kept on for a certain length of time and may be resumed 

 later if, during the course of training, it is noticed that 

 the horse has a tendency to get behind the bit. 



Successive steps to accustom the young horse to the 

 curb bit. — In the first lessons in the double bridle, work 

 should be begun on the snaffle bit. When the horse has 

 settled down and is well in hand he can be ridden on the 

 curb. It is to be remarked, and the remark is important, 

 that bending lessons are never to be given in the early 

 stages of work on the curb. For these lessons you must 

 wait until the horse fearlessly accepts contact with the 

 bit and tightens the curb reins as he formerly did the 

 snaffle reins. If this method of procedure sometimes 



o A curb bit with snaffle mouthpiece. 

 54 



