i8 HORSES 



little or no feeling, and the bad rider can hang 

 on there without doing much damage. If, how- 

 ever, the curb is used, the bit is brought to bear 

 on the sensitive bars, when the poor beast is driven 

 mad with pain and discomfort. Horses that run 

 away, or are always throwing up their heads, have 

 usually been driven to these habits by bad hands. 



There is a general idea that delicate handling 

 is not necessary when a snaffle bridle is used, but 

 this is a mistake. The plain snaffle bit should 

 always be the chief medium for conveying your 

 wishes to the horse, and the curb should be looked 

 on as an assistant only. A curb is also of use in 

 balancing a horse, but that is a proceeding which 

 the beginner had better not worry himself about. 

 No horse can be considered perfect unless he is 

 well balanced, and one which is built that way 

 will never be a hard puller. A good horseman 

 can, by a delicate manipulation of the reins, give 

 a horse an artificial balance, whereas the same 

 animal, in the hands of a bad rider, would be 

 galloping with the whole weight of his body 

 thrown on to his shoulders. 



You may liken a horse to a steel rod which, when 

 it is bent in curves, develops a great springing 

 power. The curb makes the horse bend his head 

 and bring his hocks underneath him, when the 

 steel rod may be said to have become a spring. In 

 this position a horse is capable of exerting his 

 greatest power for jumping. You will also under- 

 stand that your weight will make a considerable 



