EVILS OF THE MARTINGALE. 29 



tlic bad liabit of continually throwing up his head, the 

 rider must hold his hands very low, and be perpetually 

 on the watch to bear the horse's head down, by gentle 

 but firm feeling; thus checking every irregularity of 

 movement. There must be no jerking of the hands, 

 or hastiness of temper displayed, but a continual, 

 gentle, and very firm bearing upon the mouth. The 

 higher the horse carries his head, so much the lower 

 must the rider carry his hands, even to be below the 

 point of the horse's shoulders. A martingale is a 

 foreig-n, dead, and non-elastic medium, interfering with 

 and neutralising the fine feeling that ought ever to 

 subsist between the hand of the rider and the mouth of 

 the horse. With well trained and finely broken horses, 

 the presence of the martingale becomes a nuisance ; and 

 to horsemen with light hands it is an abomination. 

 It is used by most horse-breakers, which is not sur- 

 prising, when we consider their very limited know- 

 ledge of the science they profess ; and by all the 

 jockeys and trainers in almost every racing stud in 

 the kingdom ; only proving, however, how little is 

 generally known of the virtues of a light, firm, and 

 elastic hand. 



When the horse carries his head too low, then the 



