138 BITS AND BITTING. 



the height of the bar of the horse's mouth why, shall 

 be made clear in another chapter ; notwithstanding 

 which, it is only necessary to go into any saddler's or 

 bit-maker's shop to satisfy one's self that a very large 

 proportion of bits, even of those intended for saddle- 

 horses, are constructed in total defiance of this rule, 

 and calculated for animals that have much higher bars r 

 wherever they are to be found. 



But if there is very great uniformity in the absolute 

 height of the bars, there is, on the other hand, a very 

 great diversity in their shape and texture, some being 

 flat-topped and broad others, again, presenting a ridge- 

 like surface ; some also spongy, soft, and comparatively 

 devoid of feeling, whilst others appear firmer, finer, and 

 more sensitive ; all this exercising an immense influence 

 on the bitting. 



The width of the channel for the tongue, or lingual 

 canal, as the anatomists would say, is pretty nearly 

 always three-fourths of the height of the bars; and 

 this being very constantly 1.8 inch, the other will be 

 found to be about 1J inch of our English measurement, 

 which gives us the dimension of the maximum width 

 of the port of a bit, where there is one; because 

 supposing the mouth-piece to have exactly the proper 

 width, if the port be made wider than the lingual 

 canal, its corners will come on to the bars of the 

 horse's mouth and produce intolerable pain, which, 

 once for all, is wholly inconsistent with good bitting: 

 and this is precisely the reason why it is of so 

 great importance that the width of the bit should 

 coincide so accurately with that of the horse's mouth ; 

 as, if it be too wide, and a port exists, every pull 

 of the rein will be sure to bring its angles into 



