INTRODUCTION. xix 



horse has become accustomed to them, 

 they should not be shifted. 



There is little to be said in favour of 

 martingales. The martingale tends to 

 keep the snaffle in place upon a young 

 or a tender mouthed horse, who throws 

 up his head to a heavy hand ; but its 

 intervention denies that delicate tension 

 on the mouth that we are seeking ; and 

 it will not cure, although it may restrain, 

 the habit that seems to demand its use. 

 The standing martingale, buckled into the 

 bit, is a cruel instrument that may throw 

 the horse. The least objectionable of all 

 the martingales is that attached to a nose- 

 band. But this, to be of any service, 

 confines the head of the horse too much 

 for him to make the necessary efforts to 

 recover from a mistake. None of these 



