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head down, and that pulls, or is difficult to stop just at the moment 

 you want, there is nothing like a gag, either used with a plain or 

 twisted snaffle* or a curb-bit. Gags are sometimes made like an 

 ordinary biidoon, but with holes in the ring of the bridoon for the 

 gag-rein to pass through ; bnt it is much better to have the gag 

 made so as to be used solely as a gag, and not as a bridoon as well. 



" I am a great advocate for the use of nosebands, especially with 

 young horses, or awkward-mouthed ones ; if they get their mouths 

 wide open, the bit cannot have the proper effect, but the use of a 

 noseband precludes the possibility of their getting their mouths open 

 and acquiring such habits as getting the cheeks of the bit in their 

 mouths, and locking their jaws, as some horses will do. Nosebands 

 ought to be put on sufficiently tight to prevent the horse getting his 

 mouth open, and not too low down ; some horses require them much 

 tighter than others. A great number of hard pullers are apt to get 

 their mouths open, and a tight noseband prevents them doing this, 

 and when they cannot do this they ride pleasantly without pulling. 



" Martingals ought only to be used by experienced horsemen, and 

 in riding a horse over fences with a martingal a good deal of care is 

 required to give and take with the martingal rein, so as not to check 

 the horse when he makes his effort to jump. When a martingal is 

 used on any rein it is always advisable to have the reins stitched 

 to the bit, as then there is no buckle to catch the ring of the mar- 

 tingal, and the buckle should be placed in the centre of the rein, so 

 as to admit of the martingal being put on. Care should be taken 

 not to put them on too short ; as a general nile, when a horse holds 

 himself up, the ring of the martingal should reach up to the bend 

 of his neck in his jowl. As to putting on bits, the cavalry regulation 

 is, that 'the bridoon is to touch the corners of the mouth, but low 

 enough not to wrinkle them ; the bit is to be placed in the horse's 

 mouth, so that the mouthpiece be one inch above the lower tusk, and 

 two inches above the corner tooth in mares.' 



" The curb chain should not be put on the same for all horses, some 

 light -mouthed horses being very much irritated by a tight curb, and 

 others requiring a tight one to hold them ; the links of the curb 

 chain should be of a good size, as little narrow ones are more apt to 

 cut the underneath part of the horse's jaw than good sized ones ; 

 and if a horse pulls very hard it is as well to have a piece of leather 

 between his jaws and the chain. It is always as well, when buying 

 a horse, to run your hand under his jaw to feel whether there is a 

 lump there formed by the pressure of the curb-chain ; if there is, 

 you may be pretty sure that he is a hard puller. 



