128 Bits and Bitting. 



simple mechanical principle connected with lever ac- 

 tion — namely, that the effect produced depends not 

 only on the absolute power applied, but also on the 

 direction in which this is done. For instance, consider- 

 ing the horse's head as a lever which is to act on the 

 neck and bring it toward the rider's hand, it is very 

 evident that if the former be so stretched out as to 

 form, as it were, a continuation of the latter, as we see 

 race-horses coming into the post, there is, in fact, no 

 lever action whatever. In the same manner, if we can 

 imagine the horse's chin to be brought under, so as to 

 touch his neck, there would be very little, if any, lever 

 action. This is greatest when the head is at a right 

 angle with the neck ; and the more it departs from this 

 line — either forward, when the animal pokes out its 

 nose, or to the rear, when, in consequence of severe 

 bitting or other causes to which we shall presently ad- 

 vert, it touches its breast with its chin — the less will be 

 the useful lever action on the neck. 



In fact, we always see runaway horses assume either 

 the one or the other of these two relative positions of 

 the head and neck, the lever action of the head on the 

 neck, and of the latter on the centre of motion, being 

 in both cases reduced to a nullity, which deprives the 

 rider of all command over his horse ; for it cannot be 

 too often repeated that we can only master the horse 

 and obtain a perfect command over his movements by 

 getting the point on which his hind legs, the organs by 

 which he propels himself, act completely under our 

 control, which shows the absurdity of universal bits 

 and all such contrivances. 



With the great majority of horses the physical con- 

 formation of the jaws opposes no obstacle to the head 

 assuming the most desirable position ; but there are 

 some, and sometimes very good ones in other respects, 

 where this does occur. Let us take, in the first place, 



