THE NECK, THE HEAD, ETC. 135 



two to three per cent of the horses he has had to do with. 

 Now this is a very important dimension, because the 

 upper bar of the bit should never exceed the height of 

 the bar of the horse's mouth why, shall be made clear 

 in another chapter ; notwithstanding which, it is only 

 necessary to go into any saddler's or bit-maker's shop 

 to satisfy one's self that a very large proportion of 

 bits, even of those intended for saddle-horses, are con- 

 structed in total defiance of this rule, and calculated 

 for animals that have much higher bars, wherever they 

 are to be found. 



But if there is very great uniformity in the absolute 

 height of the bars, there is, on the other hand, a very 

 great diversity in their shape and texture, .some being 

 Hat-topped and broad others, again, presenting a ridge- 

 like surface ; some also spongy, soft, and comparatively 

 devoid of feeling, whilst others appear firmer, finer, and 

 more sensitive ; all this exercising an immense influ- 

 ence on the bitting. 



The width of the channel for the tongue, or lingual 

 canal, as the anatomists would say, is pretty nearly 

 always three-fourths of the height of the bars ; and this 

 being very constantly 1.8 inches, the other will be found 

 to be about l^inches of our English measurement, which 

 gives us the dimension of the maximum width of the 

 port of a bit, where there is one; because, supposing the 

 mouthpiece to have exactly the proper width, if the 

 port be made wider than the lingual canal, its corners 

 will come on to the bars of the horse's mouth and pro- 

 duce intolerable pain, which, once for all, is wholly in- 

 consistent with good bitting : and this is precisely the 

 reason why it is of so great importance that the width 

 of the bit should coincide so accurately with that of the 



