1837] 



F A U M E US' R E G I S T E R. 



lis 



by the alininist.nitioii o(' liii bai-.on, they can prc- 

 vtMit tht> noise emitted by tlie roarer lor some hjur.-^. 

 pjg^iiinp is a (lisgustiiii^ practice, and whenever 

 yon ob-erve a horse dealer make use of it and 

 keep the animal prancing or in motion by the ap- 

 plication ol'tUe whip, yon may reasonbly sus- 

 pect ilecepiion. Horse dealers of character never 

 resort to such practices; bat amon rst all the luiv- 

 er i;ra les of this suspii'ious proiession, notiun_r 

 ia more common. 



Am OHi^si oiiier triclcs resorted to by su'ind'inip 

 horse dealers is that of hh'npiiij;^, an operation 

 p'Tloraied on the moutiis ol" horses, with a view 

 ol" m ikinur tiiem appear young, wlien the natural 

 m irks hav° become obliterated. 



The front teeih in young horses meet exactly in 

 a line perpendicularly to eacli other. As the 

 horse g.'ows oKlar these teeth assume a more hori- 

 zontal direction, the upper teeth projecting very 

 considerably over the lower; at the same tinje the 

 U|)per corner tooth tbrms a curve over the lovver 

 corner toolh. He thereibre forms an artificial ca- 

 vity in the head of the corner teeth with an en- 

 •rraving tool, and by burning it with a hot iron 

 jgives it a black appearance, quite sullicient to de- 

 ceive an inexperienced person, but which is easilv 

 detected by those who understand the business; 

 tor, although the dealer may make these marks 

 in the corner teeth, he cannot alter their horizontal 

 direction, nor restore them, to that perpendicular 

 approximation so remarkable at an early period of 

 lite. Neither can he re-produce the ridges of the 

 roof of the mouth, nor furnish the teeth with their 

 original concavity. But as it suits the dealer at 

 times to make an old horse appear younu:, so, at 

 others, he is auxious to make a younir horse ap- 

 pearsomewhat older. It is very well known that 

 ahorse is more saleable at five years old than at 

 ibur, and therefore the dealer attempts to produce 

 the mark of an additional year, by drawing the 

 corner teeth before the natural period of" tlveir 

 droppinu; out. The l)ars of the mouth are tilso 

 cut, to let the tushes protrude prematurely. Bat 

 all this is insulTiijient to deceive the eye ol" experi- 

 ence, though the cheat niay succeed with others; 

 for, althouijh the corner teeth are removed, and 

 the appearance of the tushes accelerated, yet the 

 animal has not attained his fifth year till the cor- 

 ner teeih, both of" the upper anil lower jaw, are 

 complete, and the marks of" the nrddle leetli be- 

 gin to fill up. The tushes also should rise consi- 

 derably above the jaw. 



It IS dilfi.;ult to ascertain the precise acre of 

 crib-biters, and horses whose teeth are extreiiiely 

 hard; the former lose the marks of their teeth lie- 

 fore the usual period, the latter retain them lonir 

 afterseven years. Inexaminintja horse's mouth, 

 it is advisable to observe both sides of it, as a consi- 

 derable difference frequently occurs from the misti- 

 cation of the food being peiibrnred on one side of the 

 mouth only; in which case, the teeth on that side of 

 will have made the greater proirress in alteration. 



As a horse becomes old, grey hairs appear on 

 the foreheail, and the lower parts of the mouth; 

 the lips present a lean and shrivelled anpearanc(;, 

 the lower lip hanging considerably below the up- 

 per lip. The ears also drop laterally. 



Bridles, Saddles, S,'c. 



The princioal part of the bridle which demands 

 notice in this place is the bit. which varies in tbrm. 

 Vol. V— 15 



but which onl}' tbrfus two complete divison«, 

 which are generally desig-natcd the snallle and the 

 curb. Bits have at various times undergone al- 

 teration, and hence have received the appellation 

 of the Pel ham bit, the Pembroke bit, the Wey- 

 mouth bit, the hard and sharp, the Porlsmouth, 

 the Chilliey. the Cannon, &c. 



Strictly speaking there are but two kinds of 

 bits: yet, su>;h is their construction, that n}iidiiesi< 

 or severity miy be produced in their operation. 

 i'he mildest is the colt's bit, which is made larnf« 

 and smooth in thai part which contpr^-sses the lip 

 against the bars; the larger the inouthpiece o)"the 

 bit the n»i!der its operation; and the colt's bit in 

 rendered still milder by thece.ntre of themouthuicctr 

 being united with a rinir, by which the pressure 

 becomes less severe. There is usually to a colt's 

 bit a flat triangular piece of iron fixed to the rinir, 

 and three or tour drops suspended from it, lor the 

 purpose of siimulatitiii; the tonirne to move, by 

 which means the mouth is keep cool ami refresh- 

 ed; ifthemoith is sull'ered to become dry and 

 liot, numbness and insensibility en^^ne. The 

 cheeks to this bit, and indeed to all snalH 's, should 

 be six inches lonix; at>ii flie eye (to wliich the 

 head-stall and reins are affixed) sutficienily large 

 to adaiitof strong reins working I'reely. 



The common plain snaffle, the mouth piece of 

 which is generally about the thickness ol" one's 

 finger, is so v/ell known as scarcely to require a 

 description. Some variation in the power of this 

 bit may be produced by the length and thinness of 

 the mouth piece, which renders it sharper; when 

 thick and short, it is mild. A tvvisted snaffle is 

 more severe than a smoorh snafHe; anit the deeper 

 and thiimer the twist, the sharper the operation 

 becomes. 



Thd briJoon is a snafHe without the cheek piece 

 and is only used with another bit, where cheek 

 pieces would be an incumbrance. The bit should 

 be placetl in the horse's mouth, so as not to wrin- 

 kle the corners, or otherwise cause pain to the an- 

 imal: it cannot be placed too low as long as the 

 hor^e cannot get it over his tushes. 



What, strictly speakin'j:, is called the bit, may 

 be thus (hvided; the n)oufh piece, curb, crub-hook, 

 chiiin cheek, and branches. The mouth piece isf 

 the part which is placed in the mouth ot"tiie horse, 

 the length of which is usually about five inches, 

 and round, the ends of which should rest on the 

 bars of the mouth, and the middle form a cavity 

 in which the tonixue may tie easy. The cheeka 

 are the parts above the mouth piece on each side 

 the jaw; the the branches are the lower parts, 

 upon which the power of the bit mainly depends, 

 its power increaslnir according to the length of 

 them. The curb chain is constructed so as to lie 

 smooth and flat under the jaw. 



The bridge of the mouth-piece, I would not re- 

 commend to be high, as, if so, the horse must bet 

 rendered uncomfortable. The Portsmouth bits 

 were invented far the purpose of fiircinijthe horse'sj 

 jaw^open, by which it was supposed a run-away 

 horse was more easily heli!. 



The bit and bridoon are generally used toireth- 

 er, and form what may be called the double bri- 

 dle. 



The Siddle. — This instrument may be consi- 

 sidered equally as convenient to the horse as it is 

 to his rider; it enables the Rjrmer to carry his bur- 

 den with ease and comfort to himself, while it ren- 



