THE CAVESSON, SNAFFLE, ETC. 153 



except on military bridles or harness, at least in this 

 country. 



The chief reason given for abolishing the nose-band 

 was, that it was supposed to interfere with the horse's 

 breathing, especially during the long-continued gallops 

 of the hunting-field, &c.; and it was on the same account 

 considered to be, a fortiori, wholly unfit for racing 

 purposes. This was, perhaps, not a good reason for 

 rejecting it altogether during the first handling of young 

 horses, as it would have been easy to lay it aside 

 afterwards when they came to their field-work ; but the 

 truth is, that the nose-band was placed so high up above 

 the angles of the horse's mouth that it could not prevent 

 the animal opening its mouth and doing what it pleased 

 W 7 ith the bit, unless it was buckled so tight as really to 

 interfere seriously with the respiration, even at the 

 more moderate pace of a trot or walk besides other 

 imperfections, to which allusion shall be made lower 

 down. This was long a stumbling-block in the way of 

 the rational treatment of colts and fillies, and was 

 probably what led indirectly to the invention of various 

 instruments of torture known by the name of "capital 

 mouth-pieces ;" but this difficulty has been at length got 

 over, and we are in possession of a contrivance which 

 enables us to effect what the old-fashioned nose-band 

 never could. 



This is the training-halter (Eeithalfter), invented, we 

 believe, by Lieutenant-Colonel von Oeynhausen, of the 

 Austrian cavalry, or at least introduced by him into 

 the Central School of Equitation at Vienna several 

 years since. To understand perfectly the great value 

 of this halter, it is necessary to allude to one more dis- 

 advantage of the old-fashioned nose-band, in addition 



