MARTINGALES. 93 



article of gear. This combination conforms to the sound 

 principle that the simpler the gear, the better it looks on 

 a horse. 



The chief objects of a standing martingale are to prevent 

 a horse from raising his head too high, and from stretching 

 it out too far. Consequently it may be usefully employed 

 with animals that rear, star-gaze, throw their heads up and 

 down, pull and are difficult to turn. We find that the higher 

 a horse holds his head, the less power we have to alter the 

 direction in which he is going ; hence the standing martingale, 

 by preventing him from getting his head up, will help us in 

 keeping him straight, as for instance, if he tries to run out at 

 a fence. Bringing in the head of a hard puller by means of 

 a standing martingale aids in control, by the fact of the 

 martingale taking more or less of the pull which would other- 

 wise fall on the rider's hands. 



In almost all cases when a horse raises his head in defence 

 against the snaffle, he does so with the object of transferring 

 the pressure of the mouth-piece from the bars of the mouth 

 to the less sensitive corners of the mouth. With a curb, the 

 attempt is usually made in order to escape from the painful 

 pressure of the curb-chain. 



The presence of a standing martingale which is fixed to the 

 rings of the snaffle, not only prevents a horse from holding hi s 

 head too high, but it also proves to him that he will hurt his 

 mouth against the mouth-piece of the snaffle if he tries to 

 raise his head beyond the limit allowed him by the martingale > 

 and that he will relieve his mouth of painful pressure the 

 moment he bends his neck and lowers his head. Conse- 

 quently, the action of the standing martingale which is con- 

 nected to the snaffle, is instructive as well as preventive ; 

 because it shows the horse that he gets punished for dis- 

 obeying our wishes, and is rewarded for carrying them out. 



I have always found in hunting, 'chasing, flat-racing, 



