THE BIT. 409 



head in an uiinatural, ungraceful, and uncomfortable posi- 

 tion, it gives the mouth a callous, horny character, and 

 entirely destroys all chance for fine driving. The check- 

 rein is considered valuable, especially to prevent horses 

 from grazing, or from lowering the head. The same end may 

 be equally attained by substituting a simple bridle rein, 

 to be fastened to the saddle without passing tlirough the 

 loops of the throat -lash. 



The Bit. — The bit is the most important part of the 

 bridle ; in fact, the chief use of the latter is to hold the bit 

 in its place in the horse's mouth. Bits are of various 

 devices ; that most commonly used is the snaffle^ figure 27, 

 and for ordinary mouths, it should be large, plain, and 

 easj' to the mouth ; the smaller it is, the more severe it will 



be. The bar bit is 

 a simple bar of 

 iron, without a 

 joint ; it is easier 

 to the mouth than 

 the snaffle, and is 

 FiG.82."Th. ],>. "^ much used for 



fast ti-otting horses, which are to be driven with a strong 

 hand. A still easier bit is that represented in figure 82, 

 which is made of leather, covered with India-rubber ; it is 

 useful for very tender mouths. All of these bits should 

 be supplied with long branches, or large rings, or with 

 large discs of leather, to prevent their being drawn through 

 the mouth, when either rein is drawn in turning. For car- 

 riage teams tiiere is often employed a species of curb bit, 

 called the Hanoverian, which does not differ, in principle, 

 from the Hanoverian bit, shown in figure 28. Its form is 

 somewhat modified by liaving its branches straight, and 

 supplied with holes for attaching the reins at greater or less 

 distances from the mouth-piece, according to the amount 

 18 



