BREAKING 75 



practical men as to whether the running 

 martingale should be on the curb or snaffle 

 reins. Lord Lonsdale, late Master of the 

 Ouorn, had nearly all his horses — hunts- 

 man, whips, and his own — ridden in 

 martingales on the curb-rein. Doubtless, 

 if a horse throws his head or star-gazes 

 when nearing his fence, the check of the 

 martingale is far more acute upon the 

 curb-rein than the snaffle, and a horse 

 will combat the resistance with greater 

 determination on the snaffle. Still, on 

 the other hand, if your horse shows temper, 

 and rears, and is nappy at leaving the 

 crowd, you are far more likely to pull 

 him over end with the martingale on the 

 curb, as it is the martingale-rein on which 

 you depend in such case. So there are 

 arguments for and against, and it is better 

 to keep an open mind than wax too dog- 

 matic ; but it is beyond question that 



