ILLUSTRATED GUIDE. 123 



almost totally out of use in a single harness, where it is no 

 more needed than for riding, because the driver has even 

 more command of the mouth than if he were in the sad- 

 dle. There is no doubt that a bearing rein is better than 

 a careless driver ; but with ordinary care the horse is 

 saved by a slight check, which does not keep him up, but 

 makes him keep himself up. This he is partly prevented 

 from doing from the confinement of the head, caused by 

 the bearing rein ; and, therefore, although it is useful in 

 driving the horse to hold the head up, it is injurious to an 

 equal extent by confining him from that quick exertion 

 of his power, which might save him from a fall. It is 

 true that many old horses having been used to lean upon 

 the bearing- rein — can not safely be driven without; but 

 in most of those which have never been accustomed to its 

 use, it may safely be dispensed with. I have had some 

 few which never could be trusted without a bearing-rein 

 broken in carefully for me ; but this was from defective 

 action, and from that straight-necked form which is almost 

 sure to lead to a heavy hanging upon the bit. 



It is astonishing how seldom one sees a city horse down 

 now as compared with former years, when this rein was in 

 general use ; and yet those horses are quite as hard worked 

 as ever, and often with scarcely one good leg out of the 

 four. But with their heads at liberty, and only a double 

 reined snaffle, they rarely make a mistake ; or, if they do 

 they are almost sure to save themselves from it. Too tight 

 a rein is quite as bad as holding it too loose, and a gagged 

 horse will be so confined in his action as to be always mak- 

 ing mistakes. The head should have a tolerable degree of 

 liberty, the mouth just fee.ing the hand, so as in a good 

 mouth to lead to that playing with the bit which is the 



