THE ANGLE OF TRACTION, ETC. 241 



less on their forelegs ; and we feel confident that we 

 have been fully anticipated in what we are now about 

 to say — namely, that, first of all, placing the draught- 

 eye of the hames opposite the horse's shoulder-joint 

 is not the way to give the animal free action under the 

 saddle ; secondly, a trace that forms an inverted angle 

 downwards, like a or h, fig. 17, must make the horse 

 throw himself more and more on his forehand ; thirdly, 

 trussing up a horse as tightly as possible between 

 short traces and short pole-chains — making it, in fact, a 

 jDiece of the machine — is not the way to make it handy 

 and light in its action under the saddle ; fourthly and 

 lastly, putting an uncouth piece of ironmongery, nearly 

 as big as the front of a kitchen-stove, into the wrong 

 part of a horse's mouth, and with a torturing curb-chain 

 attached to it, will scarcely conduce to lightness in the 

 hand under either a gentleman's or a lady's saddle. 



Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, all who wish to 

 keep horses '• a double usage," the thing is quite prac- 

 ticable and pleasant, and only requires that the gentle- 

 man should sit on the proper part of the horse's back — 

 the ladies do so mostly; that the horses should be 

 properly harnessed and left some room in their traces, 

 instead of being trussed up ; and, finally, that the 

 same or nearly the same mouthpiece, whether snaffle 

 or curbed bit, should be used in both cases, always 

 taking care that it fits accurately, and that the curb- 

 chain does not wound the poor chin.''' 



The height of the ivheel. — We began this chapter 

 with an extract from the ' Handy Horse-Book ' to the 

 effect that draught would be easiest if the axles of a 

 carriage were placed on a level with the trace-hooks 



* See ' Bits for Harness,' p. 198. 



