172 HUNTING 



best rider to mount a young horse, as he generally 

 possesses light hands and a firm seat, and his ex- 

 perience will have taught him to have patience in 

 dealing with young horses, or he would not remain 

 in a racing-stable. But whoever may be the rider, 

 it is essential that he should possess light hands, a 

 firm seat, a light weight, and patience. Of course 

 the process of mounting should take place under the 

 eye of the master. Some grooms, if they be fearless 

 riders, will make the first attempt surreptitiously, 

 not from malice prepense, but from that love of 

 recklessness, which most of us possess in a more or 

 less marked degree. To a good groom a previous 

 word of warninoj will be sufficient, and a bad s^room 

 ought not to be on the premises. 



The bridle best adapted for use in mounting young 

 horses is the plain snaffle with two reins, one of 

 which passes through a martingale, but in no event 

 should the mouth of the animal be allowed to get 

 sore. A sore mouth makes the horse afraid to face 

 the bit, and causes him to contract a habit of rearing, 

 than which no habit is more dangerous. Some people 

 advocate accustoming a horse to the curb after he 

 has been accustomed to the snaffle, on the grounds 

 that it makes him more handy and improves his 

 action, but except where a horse carries his head 

 badly we doubt the utility of the curb, and much 

 prefer the snaffle bridle and martingale, for the use 

 of the curb premises bad hands on the part of the 

 rider. 



On the principle that it is necessary to teach a child 



