EQUIPMENTS. 



29 



the groove of the chin, and Its width 

 should depend upon the size of the 

 groove. 



When the bits have been fitted, and 

 the horse has become accustomed to 

 them, they should not be shifted. 



There is little to be said in favor of 

 martingales. The martingale tends to 

 keep the snaffle in place upon a young or 

 a tender-mouthed horse, who throws up 



his head to a heavy hand ; but its inter- 



-t 



vention denies that delicate tension on the 

 mouth that we are seeking ; and it will not 

 cure, although it may restrain, the habit 

 that seems to demand its use. The stand- 

 ing martingale, buckled into the bit, is a 

 cruel instrument that may throw the horse. 

 The least objectionable of all the martin- 

 gales is that attached to a nose-band. But 



