136 BITS AND BITTING. 



The third dimension is what we term the height of the 

 bars that is to say, the distance between a straight edge 

 supposed to rest on the upper surface of the bars at d, 

 Fig. 12, and another straight edge placed exactly parallel 

 to it, and touching the undermost point of the chin- 

 groove mathematically speaking, the tangent to the 

 curve formed by the groove. This latter dimension 

 the height of the bars is perhaps the most important 

 of all, because all the remaining dimensions of the bit 

 must be deduced from it. 



The width of the mouth is, as may be supposed, a 

 very variable quantity, depending on the breed and 

 size of the horse. Nevertheless Lieutenant-Colonel 

 von Oeynhausen,* who has had occasion to measure 

 the mouths of a very great number and variety of 

 horses, says,t that with the great majority of horses of 

 the smaller medium size, 15.1 to 15.3 hands high, their 

 dimension amounts to 4 inches. With very small 

 and very light horses one finds occasionally 3f inches ; 

 the great majority of good- sized saddle horses, 15.3 to 

 16.2 hands, have 4J inches, and some very large ones go 

 to 4-| inches ; while 5 inches is only to be found amongst 

 very heavy draught animals : and on reducing these to 

 English measure we have 4.148, 3.889, 4.407, 4.797, 

 and 5.185 English inches. 



Our own experience, which has been considerable, 

 though not to be mentioned in comparison with Von 

 Oeynhausen's, confirms this very accurately ; and on 

 referring to old pocket-books devoted to notices of this 



* Of the Austrian army perhaps the most learned man living 

 in the matter of horse-flesh, and the author of several admirable 

 works. 



t ' Zaumungs Lehre,' p. 19. 



