152 BITS AND BITTING. 



should, however, be scarcely ever necessary to resort to 

 this or any of the above-mentioned methods of increas- 

 ing the painful action of what should be as nearly as 

 possible a painless instrument,* because there are other 

 and better means of attaining the same object. 



Better means, because they are more durable in their 

 effects, although they may require more time in 

 the first instance ; for, apart from all other considera- 

 tions, there is this great objection to all the con- 

 trivances referred to here, that when you take them 

 out of the horse's mouth you find yourself at best 

 just where you were before, and still more likely not 

 nearly so well off, because the animal's temper will 

 have suffered. 



In the great majority of cases, when a man finds that 

 his horse lies heavy in his hand with a plain smooth 

 snaffle in fact, when he cannot hold him he looks out 

 immediately for something sharper a twisted mouth- 

 piece, or some contrivance of the kind and seldom 

 takes the trouble to examine how it is that the animal 

 contrives to set the cold iron at defiance. If he did so, 

 he would generally find that this is accomplished by 

 getting it out of its proper place on the bars, and shift- 

 ing it up to the thick part of the tongue, which the 

 horse can only do when there is nothing to prevent 

 his opening his mouth as wide as he pleases ; for, if 

 he can do this, he can always set the rider at defiance. 

 In former times a .nose-band used to be employed, even 

 with snaffles, for the purpose of preventing this ; but 

 the nose-band has been very generally abandoned, 



* It cannot be too often repeated, that the first object to be 

 attained in handling horses is to gain their confidence, and to lead 

 them by degrees to an understanding of the rider's wishes, which 

 they will always readily fulfil, if they are able. 



