BITS 29 



him a rogue.' My advice is, ' Treat every horse 

 humanely and as a faithful friend and servant until 

 you find out his fault, and then try to cure him of it.' 

 No. 1 is a rubber bit, and is used for very tender- 

 mouthed horses ; but I do not like them, as you never 

 know what the rubber may cover or what flaws or 

 faults may exist in the foundation material. A plain 

 snaffle bit and good hands ought to be all that is 

 required. No. 7 is a bit invented and solely used 

 by the far-famed Professor Norton B. Smith. It can 

 be used on the most vicious of animals with as much 

 effect as on one that can be ' driven with a thread '; 

 and those of you who have had the privilege of wit- 

 nessing one of his wonderful exhibitions of horseman- 

 ship will not be likely ever to forget it. No. 3 is a 

 ' Liverpool,' and can be used in three different ways. 

 On a light-mouthed horse the reins should be attached 

 on the ' cheek ' — that is, through the ring and em- 

 bracing the upright centre bar below the mouthpiece. 

 If a tighter hold is required, use the 'middle bar ' — 

 that is, the top holes immediately below the ring, 

 when the curb is called into play. Sometimes, 

 but, I hope, not often, the lower bar is used. As a 

 rale, this torture — for it amounts to that — is supple- 

 mented by the use of the hateful bearing-rein. By 

 using this lower bar the horse is constantly hard on 

 the curb, his head pulled under towards his chest. 

 If he makes a blunder, instead of the driver being 

 able to pull him up, he only makes bad matters worse, 

 for he instinctively hauls at the reins, closer in still 

 goes the poor beast's head, and down he goes. He 

 does not stand a chance to right himself. The horse's 

 mouth becomes harder and harder, and he gets into 

 the habit of 'laying' on his bit, and puts all his 

 weight and most of the draught on his driver's hands, 

 instead of putting it into the collar ; and then, if 

 other persuasions of a milder character are used, he 



