RIDING AND TRAINING. I 7 



CHAPTER V.THE DOUBLE BRIDLE. 



IN the double bridle we have the curb bit and the 

 snaffle. It is with the first of these that the horse 

 should be habitually ridden, as it acts upon the 

 lower jaw of the horse, and gives the rider greater 

 control over the animal. The snaffle is merely an 

 aid to the curb bit, and should be placed well up 

 in the corners of the mouth. The curb bit should 

 be arranged so that it will take a bearing upon 

 the bare bars of the mouth, say half an inch 

 above the tusks of a horse, or one inch above the 

 corner teeth of a mare. The mouth-piece should 

 have a liberty for the tongue, so that the bit may 

 take effect upon the bars of the mouth. The size 

 of this liberty, or port as it is called, should depend 

 upon the size of the tongue of the horse. If the 

 horse have a thick tongue the port will be made 

 correspondingly high ; if the tongue be small, the 

 port should be decreased, but the mouth-piece 

 should not vary greatly from the pattern known as 

 the 'Melton.' If the horse have a clean head, the 

 mouth-piece should be wide enough only to give 



