HALF MOON BIT. 75 



It will greatly increase the effectiveness of the Half 

 Moon Bit to keep the head elevated. Indeed, this alone 

 will enable driving many headstrong horses easily. The 

 simplest and best form of check for this is arranged about 

 as follows : Put on a small steel bit partly bent, and pass 

 a closely-fitting strap from each ring across the nose. To 

 keep it in place, another small strap should extend from 

 the center of it to the head-piece. The gag-runners should 

 be attached to the bridle well up on the head-piece on a 

 line with the ears. The check-rein should be attached to 

 this bit, and drawn short enough to throw the head well up. 



FIG. 73. Half Moon Bit. 



The next point is to so conform the driving bit that it 

 cannot be resisted. This is accomplished by making the 

 part of the mouth-piece coming against the jaw so thin that 

 more than an ordinary pull upon it will hurt so severely 

 that there will be no inclination to pull against it ; next, 

 that it be made so circular in form that it will give suffi- 

 cient lateral restraint to prevent pulling or lunging side- 

 ways. The length should be from four and seven-eighths 

 to five inches from center to center of holes, the bend about 

 one inch forward from a line drawn across the center of 

 the holes, with the edge filed down to about the thickness 

 of the back of an ordinary knife-blade, and rounding to 

 prevent cutting. This will make the surface bearing against 

 the mouth so narrow the most plucky horse can scarcely 



