36 XENOPHON ON HORSEMANSHIP. 



the head and letting them drop on the 

 withers, he should take the head-piece ^^ in 

 his right hand and offer the bit with his left. 

 If the horse receives it, of course the head- 

 stalp3 is to be put on; but if he does not 

 open his mouth, the bit should be held 

 against his teeth and the thumb of the left 

 hand thrust within his jaw. This makes most 

 horses open the mouth. If he does not 

 receive the bit even then, press his lip hard 

 against the tush ; very few horses refuse it on 

 feeling this. 



Let your groom be well instructed in the 

 following points : first, never to lead the 

 horse by one rein,^^ for this makes one side of 

 the mouth harder than the other; secondly, 

 what is the proper distance of the bit from 

 the corners of the mouth: if too close, it 

 makes the mouth callous, so that it has no 

 delicacy of feeling; but if the bit hangs too 

 low down in the mouth, the horse can take it 

 in his teeth and so refuse to mind it. 



The following must also be urged strongly 

 upon the groom if any work at all is to be 

 done. Willingness to receive the bit is 

 such an important point that a horse which 



