154 BITS AND BITTING. 



possible means of mouthing young animals. Training 

 race-horses is so distinct and peculiar a branch of rid- 

 ing, that it seems almost presumptuous to offer even 

 a suggestion on the subject ; but we are quite certain 

 that the halter here described would be of great value 

 to trainers, saving them much trouble, and eventually 

 diminishing the number of bolters and difficult starters 

 very considerably, and thus giving many a horse a fairer 

 chance than he would otherwise have. Of course it is 

 not meant that the halter should be used otherwise 

 than during the first period of handling; in actual 

 running it would interfere too much with the animal's 

 respiration. 



The great value of being able to keep the horse's 

 head in a proper position has been frequently dwelt 

 upon in these pages. It is a matter with which al- 

 most every rider is acquainted, and the number of 

 martingals, running -reins, and other contrivances in- 

 vented especially to attain this object furnish an evi- 

 dence of its great desirableness. Some of these are 

 intended to act on the horse's nose, and are, therefore, 

 nearly worthless ; others again are fixed, and conse- 

 quently more or less dangerous, besides requiring fre- 

 quent alterations of buckles, &c., to make them suit ; 

 a third class act on the reins, and, interfering with the 

 direction in which the pull on the latter is exercised, 

 are wholly inadmissible ; some few act directly on the 

 bit or snaffle. To be really efficient, safe, and appli- 

 cable under all circumstances, the running-rein or mar- 

 tingal should act directly on the snaffle or bridoon 

 itself,* be wholly independent of the reins, and afford 



* It is both useless and dangerous to interfere with the action of 

 the bit by means of such contrivances. 



