78 ELEMENTS OF HIPPOLOGY. 



increase the evil which has been done, and he will become more 

 and more unable to correctly estimate what is the natural con- 

 dition of the mouth. In a word, he will do the very things he 

 ought not to do. From the foregoing observations we can see 

 that, at the beginning of the breaking, the curb-chain should be 

 loose — in fact, it is better to take it off. 



"The knowledge of the mouth of a green horse is an im- 

 portant and delicate matter. In order to gently feel the mouth 

 without spoiling it, we must begin with great lightness of hand, 

 and gradually increase the pressure up to the point of making 

 the horse feel it, which sensitiveness varies in degree according 

 to the animal. If a horse yields to the light pressure of a curb 

 that has no curb-chain, of what use is the curb-chain, and what 

 is the good of seeking for a more powerful means of restraint? 



"I have thoroughly broken horses, not only for the manege, 

 but also for outdoor work, without using a cUrb-chain, which 

 may remain hooked up on one of the curb-hooks, so that it may 

 be instantly used in case of need. As a rule, it should not be 

 employed unless the rider finds that he needs its help. When 

 he uses it, he should never put more tension on it than is actually 

 required; the proper maximum being when the curb-chain is 

 tightened up so that it makes an angle of forty-five degrees 

 with the lower jaw. 



"As the tension of the curb-chain should be proportionate 

 to the sensitiveness of the bars, so should the pressure caused 

 by the pull of the reins be proportionate to the resistance. If 

 this resistance is slight, the effort to overcome it should be light, 

 and the point of its application should be high up on the jaw; if 

 the resistance is great, the effort should be energetic and it 

 should be applied low down. Therefore, without greatly alter- 

 ing the middle position which the mouthpiece should occupy be- 

 tween the tushes and the corners of the lips, we may raise or 

 lower the mouthpiece so that the horse may yield his jaw by, 

 respectively, a light feeling of the reins or by a strong pull on 



