190 BITS AND BITTING. 



AYe have hitherto treated the lower cheek of the bit 

 as a straight line, and this is the form usually adopted 

 in common life ; whilst for military purposes various 

 curves are adopted, the best and nicest-looking being 

 nearly in the shape of a capital S. This variety of 

 form, it should be understood, has nothing to do with 

 the action of the bit as a lever : the point of attachment 

 of the lower ring, the centre of the rivet of the mouth- 

 piece, and that of the upper ring or eye, should be in 

 one straight line, and at the same proportional dis- 

 tances from each other, in both cases alike. The real 

 object of the double curve of the lower cheek of the 

 military bit is to prevent the horse from catching hold 

 of it with his lips, and then getting it between his 

 teeth, a trick many horses acquire. With the straight 

 cheek recourse is had to a curb-strap in such cases, as 

 every one knows ; but it is much simpler and easier for 

 military purposes to adopt the curved cheek, and there 

 is no other reason beyond whim and fashion why civi- 

 lians should not do the same. 



As to the upper ring or eye into which the headstall 

 of the bridle is fastened, this is now pretty nearly al- 

 ways really ring-shaped. In former times it was usually 

 flattened down in various degrees fi'om an oval to a 

 mere horizontal slit ; but since the real principles of 

 bitting have become better understood, the simple ring 

 is preferred, and will bo generally found to answer all 

 purposes perfectly, although, no doubt, there are some 

 cases where it might be convenient to use the oval- 

 shaped eye ; these are, however, very few indeed. We 

 have also hitherto considered the right and left side 

 pieces (upper and lower cheeks taken together) of the 

 bit as being in all cases parallel to each otlier, and con- 



