76 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



BITTING.* 



"I have nothing to say about the snaffle, except that it 

 ought to be rather thick, so as to reduce its severity, and that 

 it should be placed at about an equal distance from the bit and 

 the corners of the mouth. 



"The form of a curb bit and the position it is placed in the 

 mouth are points of great importance. It is impossible to de- 

 cide at first glance what kind of a curb will suit a young horse 

 best and what position it should occupy in his mouth. Baucher 

 says that he would use the same kind of a bit for all kinds of 

 horses, which statement is the consequence of his pet theory that 

 all horses have the same kind of mouth. I will 1 ere content 

 myself with saying that even the most inexperienced horseman 

 will state that horses go better in one bit than in another, and 

 that certain animals will go kindly in a snaffle, but will resent 

 the use of a rather severe curb. This is a generally accepted 

 fact, which has been amply proved. We can find the best curb 

 for a horse only by trial. But there are always certain princi- 

 ples to help us in making our experiments, which we may sum 

 up as follows : 



"The curb which is used at the beginning of the breaking 

 should have a thick mouthpiece, low port, and short cheek- 

 pieces, so that it may be easy to the mouth. Its width should 

 be proportionate to that of the mouth of the horse. If it is too 

 narrow, the lips will be compressed by the cheekpieces; if it is 

 too wide, the horse, either in play or to relieve the bars of the 

 mouth from pressure, will bring it too much over on one side 

 of his mouth, so that a part of the port will rest on one of 

 the bars, and consequently the mouthpiece will exert an uneven 

 pressure, which will almost always cause the horse to carry his 

 head sideways. 



*From "Breaking and Riding," by James Fillis, pp. 10-13. 



