150 BITS AND BITTING. 



should, however, he scarcely ever necessary to resort to 

 this or any of the ahove-mentioned methods of increas- 

 ing the painful action of what should he as nearly as 

 possible a painless instrument,* hecause there are other 

 and hetter means of attaining the same object. 



Better means, hecause they are more durable in their 

 effects, although they may require more time in the 

 first instance ; for, apart from all other considerations, 

 there is this great objection to all the contrivances 

 referred to here, that when you take them out of the 

 horse's mouth you find yourself at best just where you 

 were before, and still more likely not nearly so well off, 

 because the animal's temper will have suffered. 



In the great majority of cases, when a man finds that 

 his horse lies heavy in his hand with a plain smooth 

 snaffle in fact, when he cannot hold him he looks out 

 immediately for something sharper a twisted mouth- 

 piece, or some contrivance of the kind and seldom 

 takes the trouble to examine how it is that the animal 

 contrives to set the cold iron at defiance. If he did so, 

 he would generally find that this is accomplished by 

 getting it out of its proper place on the bars, and shift- 

 ing it up to the thick part of the tongue, which the 

 horse can do only when there is nothing to prevent 

 his opening his mouth as wide as he pleases; for, if 

 he can do this, he can always set the rider at defiance. 

 In former times a noseband used to be employed, even 

 with snaffles, for the purpose of preventing this ; but 

 the noseband has been very generally abandoned, ex- 



* It cannot be too often repeated, that the first object to be at- 

 tained in handling horses is to gain their confidence, and to lead 

 them by degrees to an understanding of the rider's wishes, which 

 they will always readily fulfil, if they are able. 



