The Cavcsson. Sna^c^ etc. 153 



ft is scarcely necessary to remark that the snaffle 

 should neither be pulled up too high in the horse's 

 mouth, nor suffered to hang down so low as to interfere 

 with the tusks or front teeth ; its proper place will be 

 about one-fourth of an inch below the angle of the 

 mouth ; and in this position a plain, smooth mouth- 

 piece, if aided in its action by the training-halter, will 

 be found to answer every purpose and afford the best 

 possible means of mouthing young animals. Training 

 race-horses is so distinct and j^eculiar a branch of riding 

 that it seems almost presumptuous to ot^er even a sug- 

 gestion on the subject ; but we are quite certain that 

 the halter here described would be of great value to 

 trainers, saving them much trouble, and eventually 

 diminishing the number of bolters and difficult starters 

 very considerably, and thus giving many a horse a fairer 

 chance than he would otherwise have. Of course it is 

 not meant that the halter should be used otherwise 

 than during the first period of handling ; in actual 

 running it would interfere too much with the animal's 

 respiration. 



The great value of being able to keep the horse's 

 head in a proper position has been frequently dwelt 

 upon in these pages. It is a matter with which almost 

 every rider is acquainted, and the number of martingals, 

 running-reins and other contrivances invented especially 

 to attain this object furnish an evidence of its great de- 

 sirableness. Some of these are intended to act on the 

 horse's nose, and are, therefore, nearly worthless ; others 

 again are fixed, and consequently more or less danger- 

 ous, besides requiring frequent alterations of buckles, etc., 

 to make them suit ; a third class act on the reins, and, 

 interfering with the direction in which the pull on the 

 latter is exercised, are wholly inadmissible ; some few 

 act directly on the bit or snaffle. To be really efficient, 

 safe and applicable under all circumstances, the run- 



