132 HOW TO JDDGE A HOItSE. 



Ijy studjiug the very simple laws of natui'e, thereby 

 makiug themselves iiulepeiulcut from their grooms, 

 and the stories they tell them about thoir horses. 



There is nothing more awkward and difficult to 

 manage, than a horse with abitnotj)erfectly adapted 

 to his month, and to his whole frame or one that has 

 been ill jjlaced. Many an otherwise excellent horse 

 has been put down as a worthless brute and sold, 

 and all on account of improper bitting. 



There are ihree dimensions of (he interior rf the 

 horse s moidli, which must be accurately ascertained 

 before attempting to fit him with a proper bit. 



77/e_/7/'«< is the transversal widlli (f tli(> ni(,iith, 

 from side to side, measured at a point directly ojijio- 

 site the chin groove. 



The second dimension is the distance of the bars or 

 the width of the channel in which the tongue lies, 

 and which determines how much of the mouthpiece 

 may be allowed for the port. 



The third dimension is the height of the bars, or, 

 the distance between their upper surface and the 

 bottom of the chin groove. 



The mouthpiece ought to be just so wide as to fit 

 the horse's mouth snugly. If wider, it will 

 slip from side to side, and the edges of the port if 

 there are any — press upon the verj' sensitive bars, 

 causing the horse intolerable pain; to avoid which, 



