186 BITS AND BITTING. 



or old habit, many a good rider will cling to it; but 

 then its dimensions should be as carefully adjusted to 

 those of the horse's mouth, and, moreover, to the 

 other peculiarities of the individual animal's build and 

 temper, as we have shown to be necessary with the 

 un jointed bit : and this brings us to another form of 

 jointed bit that used, as already mentioned, in the 

 Prussian light cavalry (No. 8, Fig. 14). 



These are very similar to a straight-barred bit with 

 moderate tongue-freedom, but with a snaffle- joint at 

 the top of the port ; and their dimensions being in 

 accordance with the size and character of the horses, 

 there is nothing irregular in their action, especially as 

 care is taken to put them into the proper part of the 

 horse's mouth. We consider the unjointed bit to be a 

 better and more perfect instrument, especially in the 

 hands of a good rider; but we must not overlook the 

 fact, that the time of service in the Prussian cavalry 

 being restricted to three years, and, in consequence of 

 the system of recruiting, a considerable number of men 

 being brought into the ranks who have no previous 

 habits of horsemanship, there may be reasons for 

 adopting this jointed bit quite independent of its 

 relative merit. 



We would recommend those who, for hunting or 

 racing purposes, wish to have a sufficient command over 

 their horses, combined with a more decided leaning on 

 the bit than is necessary for road-riding or possible for 

 the cavalry soldier, to use what we should be inclined to 

 call a dumpy bit, Fig. 15 that is to say, one whose 

 upper cheek is exactly of the dimension prescribed 

 above, but whose lower cheek, instead of being double 

 the same, is only about 2f to 3 instead of 3| inches 



