BRIDLES. 129 



his sides, or from the laceration of his mouth by a harsh 

 bit, purposely constructed to hurt him. 



As regards a hunter, however, the case is quite dif- 

 ferent ; for while on the one hand his becoming infuriated 

 is dangerous to his master as well as himself, a total 

 absence of pain induces him to give calm attention to 

 the difficult work he has to perform. 



Although, therefore, according to the animal's disposi- 

 tion a sufficient amount of leverage is required, the 

 smoother the bit is made the more willing will he be 

 to submit to it, and the less will he be disposed to 

 quarrel with it; indeed this principle has more than 

 once been exemplified by the fact of a runaway horse, 

 over which his rider had apparently no control, stopping 

 gradually of his own accord, in consequence of the rupture 

 of the curb chain, which, having infuriated him by the 

 agony it had inflicted on his lower jaw, nad actually 

 caused the very danger it had been created to prevent. 

 And it is for this reason that a leathern strap ought 

 almost invariably to be placed under the hard twisted 

 curb chain, by which simple addition acute pain is 

 removed, without any diminution of strength of the 

 chain or of the leverage of the curb-bit. 



