WATERING BRIDLES. 79 



in a minute. How often, alas, is such the case ! 

 ' The eye of the master is the best servant,' when 

 that master has the full use of his sight and knows 

 about what he sees. The price of a good pair 

 of kneecaps is about 6s. to 7s. 6d. But one 

 more article remains to be treated of in the present 

 chapter, viz., the watering bridle, or exercise bridle, 

 as it is sometimes called. 



As a rule, anything is considered good enough 

 for an exercising bridle. Now, as a majority of the 

 accidents which happen to horses occur when they 

 are at exercise (and in the stable), it is surely at 

 variance with common-sense to incur any further 

 risk of accident through the use of an inferior 

 article. I make bold enough to assert that one 

 half of the exercising" bridles in use are downrio-ht 

 rotten. The snaffles are generally made of galvan- 

 ized iron, or covered with rust, and probably a 

 coating of half-masticated food, showing that from 

 time to time the horse has been pulled away from 

 his feed before he has finished it, in order to suit 

 the groom's convenience, or because, he having 

 been late that morning, the feed has been hurried 

 and the exercise-hour also hurried on. Of course, 

 under good management such a state of things 

 would not exist ; but, let me ask, how often is such 

 the case ? 



