154 BITS AND BITTING. 



to those already enumerated, which was, that when the 

 reins of the snaffle came to be shortened, the cheek- 

 pieces of the headstall bulged out to the right and left 

 up to the point at which they were held fast by the 

 nose-band, and being stopped there, a certain proportion 

 of the pull on the reins was transferred from the 

 mouth-piece to the nose-band, where it, of course, was 

 wholly inoperative ; so that this latter, instead of 

 promoting the action of the former, actually interfered 

 with it, making the horse lean still more on the hand 

 than hitherto. 



It is as well to mention here that the method now 

 introduced of passing snaffles, used for draught-horses r 

 through rings at the lower end of the cheek-pieces,, 

 instead of buckling them on directly as heretofore, is 

 grounded on the same principle that of making the 

 action of the mouth-piece altogether independent of the 

 nose-band. 



But these ring-snaffles do not, of course, prevent the 

 horse opening its mouth too wide, nor can the old- 

 fashioned nose-band do this effectually either ; the 

 training -halter does so most efficiently, and in the- 

 simplest manner. It consists of two cheek-straps whose 

 upper ends are made fast in the buckles of the snaffle- 

 headstall.* These cheek-straps support, by means of 

 two rings, a nose-band composed of three pieces : 1. The 

 nose-band proper ; 2. A strap about 7 inches long, 

 sewed into the ring on the off side ; and, 3. A shorter 

 strap, 2 to 3 inches long, and terminated by a buckle, 

 which is sewed into the ring on the near side. The 

 cheek-straps are buckled into the headstall outside, so 



* It is, of course, necessary for this purpose that there should 

 be a buckle on each side. 



