88 METHODS OF SUBJECTION. 



said he had made a wager that he could make a sixteen-year-old 

 mustang that had not been touched for three years, follow him in 

 thirty minutes, and that he did it so well in seven that it would 

 follow him anywhere and thereby astonished those who knew the 

 mustang. And this he did with the War Bridle. 



The simplicity of this form of control makes it very difficult to 

 realize its real value ; neither is it too much to say that it requires 

 considerable practical skill to bring out its full power. 



If limited to the various forms of the War and Patent Bridles, 

 there should be no real difficulty in being able to, control certainly 

 more than half of the average colts and vicious horses in the 

 country. 



"W," or Breaking Bit — Training the Mouth. 



Whatever we do with the horse', however .successful our treat- 

 ment, we must ultimately come to the control of the' mouth-; and if 

 not successful in this, no matter how good our treatment otherwise, 



Fig. 182.—" W," or Breaking Bit. Half Size. 



it must necessarily be regarded as seriously defective. This matter 

 of getting good control of the mouth, simple as it may seem, both- 

 ered me more to catch the points of doing successfully, than any 

 other treatment here referred to. And it is naturally one of the most 

 difficult points for horse men to contend with successfully. This is 

 usually sought to be done by bitting, that is, putting on a bittingr 

 rig, checking the head up, and letting the colt fight it until he gives 

 up, and in the management of runaways, depending wholly upon 

 such bits as will give direct power. The difficulty is that while the 

 horse may be controlled in this way, the disposition to continue the 

 habit is not overcome, which is the real point important to accom- 

 plish. Then, in many extreme cases, the resistance may be so great 

 that it is not possible by any means heretofore in use to hold the 

 horse. 



It must be borne in mind that this method (bitting) brings dead 

 pressure only upon the mouth, and necessarily cannot teach the idea 



