206 BITS AND BITTING. 



sions of the mouth absokitely require a very short upper 

 bar, when it may be necessary to make the lower one 

 somewhat less than twice the length of the former, 

 according to the rule we have given ; but such cases 

 are few in number, and must be regarded as exceptions 

 it seemed, however, advisable to mention them. 



The next greatest fault is when the bit stands stiff 

 in the horse's mouth ; and this will be generally found 

 to proceed from the curb being too tight, or the upper 

 bar being too long, which latter always produces the 

 third fault — the mounting up of the curb out of the 

 chin-groove. 



In conclusion, a word as to horses acquiring the trick 

 of getting their tongues over the mouthpiece. This is 

 a great inconvenience, as it renders the action of the 

 whole machine uncertain. There is really no other 

 method of cure -except careful bitting and good riding, 

 which may and often does by degrees lessen the evil, 

 if not wholly remedy it ; and these means will more 

 frequently succeed with young than with old horses, 

 for it is almost always a consequence of bad bitting in 

 the first instance. Our advice would be to ride the 

 horse for a certain time on a snaffle, and then a very 

 carefully fitted bit may be put into its mouth with a 

 fair chance of success ; but there are some horses that 

 never forget this trick when once acquired. 



There is another trick which is not so inconvenient, 

 although it is very unsightly — namely, when the horse 

 lolls out its tongue either directly in front, or, as more 

 usually happens, to one side. This, too, is usually a 

 consequence of bad, that is, too severe bitting, and, 

 with carriage-horses, of the bearing-rein being too short. 

 In many cases a suitable bit will suffice, combined 



