94 THEORY OF MOUTHING. 



to rear. So inadequate are they to the purpose of giving a 

 horse a good mouth, as compared to the " long reins," that 

 I mention them only to warn my readers against their em- 

 ployment. 



Elastic reins, which are sometimes used with a dumb 

 jockey, are wrong in principle and useless in practice, for 

 they do not allow the complete freedom from pressure which 

 the horse should experience as a reward for obedience when 

 he bends his neck and yields to the reins ; unless, indeed, 

 they are so loose as to fail to perform their intended work. 



