GENEEAL PRINCIPLES. 117 



working of the bit ; and moreover, because temper and 

 even sex have also to do with it.* 



It is abundantly evident, from the foregoing remarks, 

 that the question of bits and bitting cannot be solved 

 without reference to the whole theory of riding and 

 draught ; in fact it forms a very important part of both, 

 which must serve as an apology for the contents of this 

 introductory chapter. Indeed we must go a step further 

 in this direction, and call the reader's attention to 

 another item. What has been said on the subject of 

 the lever action of the neck will suffice to indicate that 

 the direction in which the pull of the reins is made to 

 act on the centre of motion, through the medium of the 

 head, must necessarily determine both the direction and 

 intensity of the lever-action transmitted in succession to 

 the other parts of the animal's frame. It is in con- 

 sequence of this that by merely elevating or depressing 

 the hands, employing a certain amount of pressure with 

 the rider's legs, and throwing his weight backwards or 

 forwards, that it becomes possible to make the horse 

 alter the conditions of his own equilibrium, by bringing 

 his hind legs more under* him, or the contrary. In like 

 manner it is possible, supposing the pull to be horizontal 

 which is, by the way, the normal direction for a well- 

 set-up horse for cavalry purposes, as we shall presently 

 see to concentrate the lever action on one of the hind 

 legs in preference to the other, by simply throwing our 

 weight slightly to the same side, which enables us to fix, 



* It will be necessary to go into further detail on this point in a 

 subsequent chapter. In the meanwhile, we cannot refrain from ob- 

 serving how absurd it is to attempt rigid uniformity in the patterns 

 of bits used by cavalry, or, as is not unfrequently done, continuing 

 h rough a long series of years the use of a bit originally destined 

 for a very different kind of horse from that found in the ranks at 

 the present day. 



