THE MAETI^GALE. 245 



ing it as soon as the martingale was removed. Once I 

 saw one baulk so badly that he ended by throwing his 

 rider, who was a very good horseman, too ; but, in the 

 conceit of good horsemanship, he thought he could force 

 the animal over with the martingale on. After this very 

 decided hoist, he took my advice and removed it, and the 

 horse went over at once, and I have seen him clear some 

 very nasty ditches, and ridden him over not a few myself." 

 These facts instanced by Carl Benson, are of far greater 

 weight than mere theorizing. The horse, knowing the 

 martingale cramped and fettered him, was afraid to try 

 the leap, if even it was within his power to do it easily. 

 But as soon as the martingale was removed, his confidence 

 returned, and he went boldly over. The trotter requires 

 the full use of himself, as well as the steeple-chase horse 

 or hunter, and is much benefited by being harnessed so 

 that he has all the freedom admissible with being proper- 

 ly secured to the vehicle. My idea, then, is, that ninety- 

 nine in every hundred horses require the martingale to 

 be so long that there will be no friction between the reins 

 and rings, as long as his head is carried in a proper posi- 

 tion, and win only act when the head is elevated to an 

 improper height. My remarks are, of course, only appli- 

 caple to the common or running martingale. To the 

 harness horse, the fixed or standing martingale is a posi- 

 tive injury, as I have never seen a case where one was of 

 service. It is rarely seen except in the harnessing of pairs, 

 and I think is mainly used from, the fancied improvement 

 in the team's appearance. Some horses have a habit of 

 tossing their heads up, generally for the momentary relief 

 afforded, when the bearing-rein is too tight. The sharp 

 blow the bars of the mouth receive from the bit, when fast- 

 ened with an unyielding strap, cannot do much good. I 

 have heretofore signified my preference for the Kernbie 

 Jackson check, when a horse required his head to be much 



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