FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



refusers, worse rushers, more rogues and cowards 

 have been made by these contrivances than by all 

 others put together; and if you see a man down, 

 and down hard, take another look and see if he 

 isn't wearing spurs, with which he has just done 

 some foolish thing, or reminded his sprawling 

 steed that he had before been ripped up at a sim- 

 ilar place, insuring a scrambling jump and ensu- 

 ing grief. Any horse that needs spurs to make 

 him jump is no hunter, and no horse, properly 

 educated, requires them, anyway. What a re- 

 proach to a rider, on dismounting after a good 

 run, to find his horse's sides and shoulders punc- 

 tured and bleeding, his spurs and boots blood- 

 stained ! half of the damage having been caused 

 inadvertently, it is true, but not the less shocking 

 for that. It has been well said that, with differ- 

 ent combinations of the snaffle-bit, one can hold 

 any horse. Leather or rubber-covered, four- 

 ringed, nose-banded, gag-reined, running-reined, 

 chain, twisted, double and single-reined, martin- 

 gale or free, etc., the statement is very nearly 

 true. 



Very few men are competent to handle prop- 

 erly the double-reined bit and bridoon bridle, and 

 it has had a recent vogue which is by no means 



178 



