98 HORSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA. 



its absence, a horse may, at any moment, when gallop- 

 ing, chuck up his head and reverse the position of 

 the cheeks of the bit, thus depriving the rider of pro- 

 per control over him, until he brings his head down 

 again, when the cheeks of the bit will fall back into 

 their usual position. Besides this, some horses have a 

 trick of catching the cheek, on one side, with their lip, 

 and then boring down to that side, which practice a 

 lipstrap will prevent. 



Throat lashes should be put on very loosely. 



For preventing a horse, which has that habit, from 

 boring to one side, we may pass a strap through the 

 ring of the snaffle on the other side and through the 

 loop formed by the throat-lash, and then tighten the 

 strap as may be required. The pressure this arrange- 

 ment puts on the side of the mouth, opposite to which 

 he bores, will generally make him go with an " even 

 feeling " on both reins. 



When a horse carries his head too low down in gallop- 

 ing, the snaffle may be fixed higher than usual, so 

 that the bearing on the corners of the mouth may 

 make him hold his head up in a proper position. This 

 arrangement is simply a substitute for the gag snaffle. 



The following description of a plan for bridling a 

 buck-jumper may not be out of place here. 



Put on a snaffle with double reins, unbuckle one pair 

 at the centre, cross them over the withers, and attach 

 them respectively to the Dees on each side the near rein 

 going to the off D, and vice versa so that the horse 

 can by no possibility get his head down. And then 

 ride with the other reins. 



