188 DANGER OF BITS. 



sujBFerer, and probably a jib. Fortunately, nature will often 

 eventually case-harden his mouth under such treatment, so that 

 he learns at last to guide as little to the reins as to the traces. 



418. — Tying together, in any way, is fatal to anything like a 

 good mouth, each horse is subject to the rough jerks of his com- 

 panions, and cannot answer to a pull on his own bit, until he can 

 overcome the resistance of his companions ; but when fastened 

 together, either by the collars or the halters, each horse will soon 

 learn that he must give his first and best attention to the action 

 of the bit on his sensitive mouth, and overcome any resistance 

 fi'om halter or collar as best he can. 



When, on the other hand, they are tied together by the bits, 

 each horse gets a direct horizontal pull from his companion to 

 which he must guide, and only a straight back pull from the 

 driver for which he can only stop. His stopping may, after a 

 while, cause his comjDanions to walk round him, and so cause the 

 team to turn in the direction required, but it is a slow, cruel, and 

 clumsy way of steering the poor animals, and one especially 

 adapted to spoil the horse as a puller, and to make it impossible 

 for him to guide to the voice. A practice so cruel and mis- 

 chievous should be prohibited by every owner, and even by every 

 legislature. 



419. — So great is the danger of spoiling the draught horse by 

 an injudicious use or accidental abuse of the bit, that any 

 experienced horseman will avoid, even a gentle pull on either rein, 

 or taking hold of the horse's mouth, in any way, when requiring 

 him to hang long and steadily on to a pull. Many of the best 

 horse drivers will even take the bit out of their horses' mouths 

 altogether, when drawing logs out of a bush, or on to a timber 

 carriage. Sharp bits and tight reining up have spoiled thousands 

 of horses for pulling, and any tying of the head, far more of the 

 bit, must injuriously interfere with the confidence and vigour 

 with which the draft horse is required to put out his utmost 

 energy at a heavy pull. This is a fact which amongst many 

 others gave a great advantage to the now too much neglected 

 practice of guiding all draft horses by the voice. 



420. — Reins are now almost universally supplied to road 



