84 BRIDLES. 



the moment he brings his head down and bends his 



neck, cessation of the painful pressure will reward him 



for his obedience. This automatic means of dispensing 



punishment and reward is so accurate In Its working, 



that a horse soon learns the lesson set before him. But 



with a running martingale, the rider, in order to reward 



the horse for bringing his head into proper position, 



would have to slacken out the reins with a promptness 



that would be seldom attainable, and with an entire 



disregard of control over the animal. In fact, with a 



running martingale, adjusted so as to prevent the horse 



from getting his head too high, the reins would have to 



perform the dual office of keeping down the head, and 



of regulating the speed, which duties could seldom be 



successfully combined. With a standing martingale, 



however, the rider can safely relinquish the adjustment 



of the height of the animal's head to the martingale, 



and consequently he is not forced to check the horse's 



speed, when he wants to get his head down. Some 



good horsemen, on finding that the running martingale 



did not perform Its supposed office efficiently, have 



discarded it altogether, and thenceforth have trusted to 



their hands to act as their martingale. In this they 



were right not to use a running martingale to keep a 



horse's head down ; but they were wrong In thinking 



that keeping the head down was the only, or even the 



principal, use of this article of gear. If we closely 



examine Its action, we shall find that the great value of 



this martingale is to aid the rider In turning a horse by 



keeping his neck straight, when cantering or galloping, 



