108 BAD HABITS SHOULD BE ALTEBED FOR LADIES. 



plump on his knees ; yet the ?i(?,9(?-martingal in a limited 

 sense positively does this: sliould he recover him- 

 self (in spite of this), the next time he commits a 

 similar /ti?u'^>rt5, he remembers the blow he got the 

 last time, and is afraid to exert himself, dreading a 

 similar return for his exertion ; for the rider cannot 

 of course in any M-ay cause the fixed martingal to 

 relax one inch of its tension, which Avith all other 

 martingals except the rearing-bit he can do. For 

 ladies (who more frequently use the nose-martingal 

 than men) I hold it in utter dread and abhorrence, 

 unless put on so very long as merely to act if the 

 horse tosses his head so high as to greatly annoy them. 

 Even in this case I should say, cure him of the habit, 

 then he will not want any martingal at all. But if 

 he is so incorrioible as to render the 72056-martino-al 

 necessary, he will never be fit to carry a woman : get 

 rid of him at once, unless you want a chance of getting 

 rid of the lady. This common courtesy obliges us to 

 consider as an impossibility even among married men. 

 Having now vented my sj^leen on all and every fixed 

 martingal, except on very particular occasions — and 

 which I trust will occur to my Readers about as often 

 as angels' visits, or those of real friends — I will ven- 

 ture my opinion on the use of the simple racing or 

 hunting martingal, to which I never found but one 

 objection during twenty-five years of hunting experi- 

 ence. Without a little attention, it mil sometimes, 

 when you are opening a gate, catch the upright bar ; 

 and in very thick strong coverts it sometimes is caught 

 by a straggling bough. This little occasional incon- 

 venience is, however, counterbalanced a hundred-fold 

 by its general utility. I do not of course mean that 

 it is useful on a horse who does all you wish, and no- 



