ANGLO-FRENCH HORSEMANSHIP 



head is pulled to one side. The canons should 

 be from 2 to 2\ inches in circumference, and 

 the port from 1 to 2 inches in height. If the 

 horse is inclined to catch hold of the bit and 

 hold it fixed with his jaws, a bit with revolving 

 beads on the bars is useful. A bit of this sort 

 with a port 2 inches high and 8-inch cheeks 

 will make most hard pullers pleasant horses to 

 ride as hacks, providing the rider has light, 

 good hands, a firm seat, and knows how to 

 control a horse with his legs and spurs. 



Notwithstanding Baucher's assertion that 

 there is no difference in the sensitiveness of 

 horses' mouths, practical experience in the 

 hunting field shows that every mouth has its 

 own special key, and that some horses prefer 

 to take the supporting pressure — which is 

 necessary in the fast paces — on the tongue, 

 whilst others like to have their tongues free 

 and take the pressure mainly on the bars. To 

 decide upon the bit most suitable to a horse, 

 examine the mouth with the fingers, and find 

 out by pressure whether or not the bars or 

 tongue are unduly sensitive, and let the result 

 of this examination regulate the height and 

 width of the port, the mouthpiece being exactly 

 the same width as the lower jaw at the point 

 opposite the chin groove. 



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