86 



THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



mouth in such a way as not to interfere with 

 the action of the curb ; it must, therefore, be 

 neither too thick nor too long, and so fitted into 

 the angles of the mouth as to neither wrinkle 

 nor draw back the lips. 



The bit should always be made of the best 

 steel, be well rounded, and perfectly smooth. 

 Above all it should be accurately fitted to the 

 horse's mouth : if it be too narrow it will com- 

 press his lips against the bars of his mouth, and 

 the pain thereby occasioned will render him 

 very restive. The mouth-piece should be just 

 long enough to have the cheeks of the bit fit 

 closely to the outer surface of the lips with- 

 out compressing them, and 

 must not be so long as to 

 become displaced obliquely 

 when a rein is pulled. 



According to Major 

 D w y e r , who is a high 

 authority on the subject 

 of bits, and whose little 

 Fig. 15. Dwyer's Curb-Bit, work should be carefully 

 i, i, upper bars or cheeks ; 2, 2, studied by all bit-makers, 



lower bars ; 3, the port ; 4, 4, the 



t0 b 



ings; 9, 9, head-stall rings. 



bar or cheek of the curb-bit twice as long as the 

 upper one ; but, as there is no standard meas- 



