The Cavesson^ Snaffle^ etc. 155 



rear, supporting an ivory ring which may have an inter- 

 nal diameter of somewhat more than one inch (say li), 

 the external one being if, leaving, therefore, the thick- 

 ness of the ivory about \ an inch. 



The running-rein is in one straight piece, Si feet long 

 from the buckle to the point, toward \vhich latter it 

 tapers off somewhat, its width being otherwise that of a 

 common bit-rein, -f^ of an inch. An 18-inch strap of 

 the same width is sewed on behind the buckle and 

 pierced with five or six holes. The martingal has the 

 same contrivance, as usual, of a buckle for forming a 

 loop through which to draw the girths ; but the other 

 end of the strap (inch wide), instead of being split into 

 two narrow ones, each carrying its own ring, is left of 

 its full width, and carries one ivory ring of li inches in- 

 ternal diameter and 3^ external, leaving, therefore, f of 

 an inch for the thickness of the ivory. The usual 

 length of the martingal from the ring to the buckle is 

 3^ to 4 feet, the latter affording scope for adjustment; 

 and there is, of course, a neck-strap for carrying the 

 martingal, which is too well known to need descrip- 

 tion. 



Let us now suppose the horse to be saddled and bri- 

 dled with a plain snaffle, the first step will be to buckle 

 the chin-strap into the rings of the mouth-piece, the 

 martingale having been previously put on in the usual 

 manner, and its length so adjusted that the large ring it 

 carries may just reach the level of the joints of the 

 shoulders. The next step will be to buckle one end of 

 the running-rein into a D ring attached for that purpose 

 to the pommel of the saddle on the near side ; the other 

 end of this rein is then carried forward throuo^h the rinsr 

 of the martingal (from rear to front), from thence 

 through the ring of tlie chin-strap from left to right, 

 and back again through the martingal ring (from front 

 to rear), from whence it goes to the rider's right hand. 



