32 HANDBOOK OF THE TURF. . 



in handling, training or driving trotting and racing horses. 

 The first class is much the smaller, comprising those standard 

 bits which have been used unchanged for more than a quarter 

 of a century, and are still so well adapted to their purposes as 

 to be incapable of improvement. The second class is charac- 

 terized by great variety. As has been said, doubtless with 

 much truth, that nearly every horse on the course or turf 

 requires a different bit, it will readily be seen how the various 

 forms and peculiarities of bit now in use, have an excuse for 

 their being. A great driver uses a bit of some novel form for 

 a great horse, and it at once becomes adopted by other drivers, 

 and upon horses of supposed similar peculiarities of mouth or 

 disposition. This is one reason for the increase in the number 

 of bits of diverse patterns. Again, different bits are required 

 for hard or tender mouths, for tongue lollers, for side pullers, 

 for horses having peculiar dispositions or odd ways of going- 

 special to their own individuality, and this calls for bits of 

 different form or bearing, designed for the particular service the 

 horse is performing. Under these two classes, only the lead- 

 ing bits, those best known and most popular among the great 

 trainers, drivers and riders, are named, with a brief description 

 of their characteristics. I. Bnr. Straight bar with guards ; 

 Bridoon or Avatering, a plain jointed bar with small side rings ; 

 Bridoon, with half guards; Bridoon, with double joint and 

 half guards; Carriage, with bar for curb and bearing rein; 

 Carriage bit and bridoon, with arched bar for the play of the 

 tongue; Cavalry or military, a powerful, severe bit, has an 

 arched bar and single rein; Cavalry (U. S. Army) bit and 

 bridoon, has two bits, a curb, two reins; Common snaffle, 

 straight bar and single jointed; Double-jointed snaffle for 

 hard pullers; Double-barred snaffle, similar in action to the 

 double pantogTaph ; Expansion snaffle, opening in the center of 

 the bar; Liverpool with straight or curved bar and sliding 

 attachment; Mexican ring, a severe, cruel bit, the ring hard 

 and unyielding, pressing on the roof of the mouth, the bar hav- 

 ing two or three tags similar to a mouthing bit ; Mouthing, a 

 jointed bar having three tags, and also a straight bar with from 

 six to ten pendants or tags ; Plain snaffle, stiff or jointed bar 

 with guards or half guards; Plain jointed snaffle, with crest 

 strap; Pelham, a plain or jointed bar, the joint more of a 

 hinge than a loop ; Pantograph snaffle, a double barred bit, the 

 joints unequal, making a double converging action ; Shifting, 

 the bar having a shifting motion across the mouth from side 

 to side, as one or the other rein is drawn, and acting like a 

 gag ; Wire snaffle, of twisted wire, thin, sharp and rough. II. 



