312 The Book of the Horse. 



of the right width, and the port is wider than the cJiannel in zvhich the tongue lies, its corners 

 will come on the bars of the horse s inonth, and cause itttolerable pain ; if a bit with a port is too 

 wide, every puii of the reins will bring its angles into painfd contact with the bars of the mouth. 



"Light bits, accurately fitted, are more to be relied on than the most atrocious instruments 

 of torture ever invented. 



" It is a great fault when a curb-bit comes out in a straight line with the reins ; it is 

 then not so useiul as a plain snaffle. It may arise from the curb-chain being too long', or the 

 upper cheek too short, or the lower cheek, proportionately to the upper cheek, too long. The 

 result is that the lever action is lost. The curb-chain does not pinch the horse's chin, or 

 press the bit against the bars of the mouth. 



"The next greatest fault is when the bit stands stiff in the horse's mouth, which will 

 arise from the curb being too tight, for then the slightest pull of the curb-rein puts the horse 

 in pain, or the upper bar too long — the latter always produces a third fault — the rising of 

 the curb-chain out of the chin-groove ; hence sore chins and restive horses. 



" Horses, from bad bitting, sometimes acquire the habit of getting their tongues over 

 the mouthpiece, a trick which renders the whole action of the curb-bit uncertain. Old horses 

 are generally incurable ; with young horses the best plan is to ride or drive them for some 

 time with the snaffle, and then carefully fit them with a bit. 



" The cheek may be curved and shaped into any fashion that pleases the eye, so long as 

 it is of the proper length. The lower portion of the cheek should never exceed in length exactly 

 the double of the upper portion. Even when the reins are habitually fastened into a ring 

 below the cheek, still the weight of the projecting arm must affect the leverage of the whole 

 instrument." 



But the experience of very competent observers in this country has shown that these Dwyer 

 bits, with maximum cheeks of five inches, are not sufficiently powerful to control English horses 

 which have already acquired bad habits as runaways or violent pullers, that they are the 

 bits with which colts should be trained to the use of the curb there can be no doubt, and for 

 average horses they are, when accurately fitted, superior to the ordinary curb-bits. 



But when a horse cannot be driven in a snaffle, or controlled by a curb-bit of something 

 like the dimensions of the " Dwyer," the better plan is to adopt a Chifney bit. The lower 

 arm of the cheek of a Chifney is separate from the upper arm, and is not therefore affected by 

 its length. When the curb-chain is properly fitted, it is perfectly easy until the horse pulls, 

 then the leverage is so powerful that if a knife were substituted for a chain it would cut clean 

 through the lower jaw. But for this very reason a Chifney curb in a double bridle must only 

 be used with a delicate hand on emergencies to let a horse know that you are his master. 



THE CURB-CHAIN. 



The best-fitting bit, even when placed in its proper place, will not work unless the curb 

 is of the proper make and length. The curb, whether single or double, should work quite 

 flat when twisted up to its fullest extent without overtwisting. It should be as broad us it 

 can be made without being too broad for the chin groove, which it must not quite fill. If it 

 is too broad, there is always danger of the upper edge rubbing against the bone of the chin. 

 The hooks for attaching it should be the same on both sides of the bit. 



It cannot be too often repeated that good bitting gives control without pain. A bit that 



