THE EYE OF THE MASTER 8i 



grooms try to cut the horse In half, the rider 

 can, from the saddle, pull his girths tight 

 enough for safety, but not so tight as to In- 

 convenience or Irritate. 



With a hard-puller, I should try riding In the 

 school In wide fio-ures of elgrht, and hackino- 

 him In such a bit as will make me his master. 

 It Is all very well to say that a horse will not 

 pull at you If you do not pull at him, but In a 

 modern hunting crowd you must be master of 

 your horse unless you are to be a public danger. 

 If the horse eets his head down and bores, a 

 gag Is the best thing, and I had at one time 

 two horses In my stable I could ride In nothing 

 else. In one case the gag always was and 

 remained necessary ; In the other, that of a big 

 blood horse, I was, after once establishing my 

 supremacy, able to ride him In a light double 

 bridle. It Is perhaps needless to say that If a 

 gag is necessary, so Is careful handling when 

 you are using it. For horses that get their 

 heads up, a running martingale on the bit rein 

 of a long cheek bit and a very thick bridoon 

 are the most effectual, but It is perhaps also not 

 necessary to say that this Is not a sort of bit 

 you can hang on to at the fences. Remember 

 that five-sevenths of vice Is the result of bad or 

 insufficient breaking and training, and though 

 it does not follow that by a good system and 



7 



