A BIT OF COMMAND AND A BIT OF ADVICE. 87 



liis mouth to do with his heels ? " A great deal, with 

 some horses. They say the devil is good-tempered 

 when he is well pleased ; so am I, and so is a horse ; 

 and while he is, he goes pleasantly and quietly. Now 

 put a too severe bit in his mouth, and, what is ten 

 times worse, put the reins into rude hands, his mouth 

 gets punished : this naturally irritates, and puts him 

 out of temper : then let any little thing occur that at 

 another time he would not have cared for, in his present 

 temper he sets to milling away at once ; yet to take 

 the other side of the question, I am in general an ad- 

 vocate for commanding bits, of course more or less so 

 according to each horse's mouth ; but I mean com- 

 manding so far as relates to that horse : but then 

 horses thus bitted must be given up to a coachman, 

 not a Yahoo with fists like a sledge-hammer. In single 

 harness, particularly in breaking or driving a horse 

 disposed to kick, he should have a very severe bit in 

 his mouth, by means of which, if he begins his non- 

 sense, you may bring him up at once on his haunches 

 or nearly on his tail. This is no pleasing operation 

 to him : it is 'meant as punishment, and a few times 

 repeated will make him fear to begin again. But 

 this must be judiciously done, and when other and 

 gentler measures fail : a horse thus severely bitted 

 should be driven by a man with hands as light as a 

 feather, though, should occasion require it, as strong 

 as those of a giant. A severe bit with such a horse 

 also prevents that pleasing accompaniment to kicking 

 namely running away, a circumstance of very common 

 occurrence. 



So far as single harness is concerned, I never drive 

 without a kickmg-strap, and that not merely a make- 

 believe, but one that will stand ditto repeated. I 



G 4 



