Appliances for Horse-training 239 



old ground, and do not therefore intend to enter 

 fully into the big subject of Bits, which Dwyer 

 has treated scientifically in his work " Seats and 

 Saddles," should the reader care to turn to it. 

 Faulty methods of training must to a great extent 

 be held responsible for the many bits now on sale, 

 but compared with those of one hundred years ago 

 they are, generally speaking, mild. Doubtless we 

 must thank hunting for this. Excepting for flat- 

 racing, and for hunting in most parts of Ireland, 

 we may take it that the ordinary double bridle is 

 serviceable enough, and, as Head has it, the 

 smoother the bit the more willingly will the animal 

 submit to it. A thick leather strap may often with 

 advantage be substituted for the curb-chain. A 

 good rider on a well-balanced horse will probably 

 require no special bit, unless the animal has ac- 

 quired the habit of getting his tongue over it, but 

 the common gag is a most useful bit for re-training 

 a " spoilt " horse who carries his head too low. 

 In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was ad- 

 vocated for the purpose of raising all young horses' 

 heads, apparently whether they needed it or not. 

 In 1832 Don Juan Segundo issued a pamphlet on 



