RIDING AND DRIVING 73 



progress. You will therefore say, how is that 

 leverage to be obtained ? To get the leverage you 

 will depend entirely on balance, and this is the 

 whole secret of a feeble man being able to control 

 such a powerful animal. You must so manipulate 

 the bridle that the balance of your body comes on 

 the horse's hind quarters, but directly that weight 

 is shifted to the fore-hand, your power is gone and 

 you are practically a helpless passenger. This is 

 my theory, and I may very likely be wrong, but I 

 do not want you to accept what I have stated as 

 gospel without first reasoning it out for yourself. 

 I venture to think you will agree with me, and we 

 will proceed on that assumption. 



The curb bridle is of course the means by which 

 you get the most power over a horse, but it is an 

 instrument that requires very delicate handling, 

 only to be used by horsemen of experience and 

 possessing that lightness of touch which we call 

 ^' hands." In referring here to the curb, I mean 

 that bit and the snaffle-iron combined, but we will 

 first of all discuss the merits and disadvantages of 

 the latter. 



The plain snaffle is the father and origin of all 

 other bits. When used in conjunction with a 

 martingale, it can be made to answer the purposes 

 of the double-reined curb, but the snaffle should 

 then have two reins attached. I have already 

 explained that the bit should lie on the bars of 

 the horse's mouth, and that when it works up to 

 the corners it becomes useless as a bridle. The' 



