84 ESSAYS ON HORSE SUBJECTS 



cess of bitting or breaking get too fresh, as he is 

 apt to rein jure his mouth when he is put in har- 

 ness again. 



Curb bits for driving are so made that differ- 

 ent degrees of leverage can be exerted. It can be 

 laid down as a rule that it is not wise to use any- 

 more leverage than is essential, otherwise the 

 mouth is apt to become sore and carried unsteadily. 



There is some diversity of opinion as to the 

 wisdom of using bearing reins. Some people, par- 

 ticularly the inexperienced, are very much op- 

 posed to their use. Occasionally one finds a horse 

 — much more rarely a pair — that carries himself so 

 well — head up, nose in and head steady — that a 

 bearing rein is superfluous. The majority of 

 horses, however, carry themselves better, drive 

 more comfortably, and are really more comfor- 

 table themselves when driven with bearing reins. 

 They can, of course, be made instruments of tor- 

 ture, if used too tightly buckled up and for too 

 long periods at a time, but most horses will not 

 only carry their heads too low, but bore, pull 

 and "duck" if not "borne up." The low carriage 

 of the head is not only unsightly in a carriage 

 horse, but causes too much weight to be thrown 

 on the forelegs for their welfare. The French 

 check is very much better than the pulley bridoon. 

 The bearing rein should not be used so tightly 

 that a horse cannot bend his head upon his neck, 



