BITS AND HARNESS 51 



the wretched horses suffering torture owing to their 

 heads being braced back, whilst the occupants of the 

 carriage are exchanging sweet courtesies with their 

 friends. The addition of a bridoon bit is by no 

 means necessary, and no doubt this adjunct of the 

 bearing rein has been the cause of much of the 

 opposition which has been directed against the latter. 



There is, however, another form of annoyance 

 and inconvenience to horses which has seldom been 

 noticed by writers, and that is the disposition shown 

 by many coachmen to draw the throat latch so tight 

 as to cause a considerable amount of discomfort. 

 Of course the throat latch is a necessary adjunct of 

 the harness, and if not buckled sufficiently tight^ it 

 would become useless; but, as in the case of the 

 maligned bearing rein, there is a limit to its shorten- 

 ing, and when that limit is passed, unpleasantness, 

 succeeded by downright inconvenience, commences. 



Blinkers, or winkers, as many persons style them, 

 have upon many occasions been attacked as being 

 unnecessary additions to the harness of a horse, and 

 these attacks have been strengthened by the com- 

 parison which has been drawn between their non- 

 adoption on the grounds of their inutility by riding 

 men. At the same time it is generally believed that 

 they diminish the chances of injury to the eye, and 

 contribute to the safety of the driver owing to their 

 preventing their wearer from seeing too much of 

 what is going on, and thereby taking fright. 



A martingale is a very useful piece of harness when 

 a horse requires one, and some do ; but to proceed 

 to the other end of the animal^ breeching is not 

 necessary except in hilly countries, when it unques- 

 tionably adds stability to the equipage, and reduces 

 the risks of trouble arising when going downhill. 



One point more in connection with harness may 

 be referred to, and though kept until the last, this is 

 by no means the least important one, either from an 



