136 How TO JUDGfi A HOBSE. 



value as a prop, but tlie lever action will be too 

 great. It will be now easily understood how it 

 comes tliat people, in order to prevent a bit with 

 very short upper branches, from falling through, 

 are driven to use a very tight curb, the result being 

 that the whole action of the bit is transferred from 

 the interior of the mouth to the chin. In order to 

 prevent a bit, with very long upper branches, from 

 standing stiff, they use a very loose curb, which has 

 the effect of making the bit fall through ; or, what 

 is very common, a bit, with very long upper 

 branches, is pulled up as high as it will go into the 

 horse's mouth, and then, either a loose curb is 

 attached, in which case this great piece of iron- 

 mongery, of course, falls through, and has not the 

 expected effect; or, they put the curb- chain very 

 tight, in which case the chain rests above the chin- 

 groove, hurting the horse considerably with the 

 result that it will bore in the rider's hand, and 

 try to run away. Whereas, a much smaller and 

 lighter bit, if adapted to the mouth, would be much 

 more efficient. 



The structure and size of the horse's bars and 

 tongue must also be considered, as those factors de- 

 termine the thickness of the mouthpiece. A horse, 

 with fleshy bars and a thick tongue, needs what is 

 called a sliarp hit, viz : a thin mouthpiece, one-half 



