FRENCH MARTIXGALES. 47 



extreimt>i.es buckled on to the breastplate, 

 through which the reins pass, for with the 

 former you are able to steady the colt's head 

 without constraining it, which is the worst 

 thing you can do when first riding a young 

 animal ; while the latter fixes the head too 

 much in one position, and also tends to make 

 him carry it far too low, when all attempts to 

 mouth him are useless, for the bit will then be 

 in the angle of the lips, the very place where it 

 ought not to be. 



There is also a danger should the colt fight 

 much, especially with his fore-feet, of their 

 becoming entangled in the martingale or reins. 

 Men put the common martingale on when 

 riding a young colt, for the simple reason that 

 it gives them a good purchase, and thus enables 

 them to hold on ; a man who requires this 

 aid to keep him in the saddle should never 

 attempt to break-in a colt, that is, if he wishes 

 him to have a good mouth, or one only a little 

 removed from cast-iron. If a man can sit a 

 colt without any pressure on the reins, he will 



