186 RUNNING AWAY, 



show the most thorough submissiveriess when everything is appar- 

 ently wrong. 



In most cases the * horse, will submit in from ten to fifteen 

 minutes ; but if badly set in the habit, and plucky, the resistance 

 may be so strong that this cannot be done in one lesson. The 

 difficulty is, if the horse warms up very much, the sensibility of the 

 mouth becomes so blunted or destroyed that he will bear the 

 severest pulling upon without flinching. Then the best plan will' 

 be to put him away until cool; when by a few minutes' repetition of 

 the treatment the mouth will usually be found so sensitive that 

 he wiU submit unconditionally; In this way it can be determined 

 how much to do without danger of harm. This point accom- 

 plished, hitch to a wagon, and repeat the same treatment. The 

 icourse pursued by the writer, as before explained, is to let the horse 

 go a few steps, call "Whoa ! " and give a sharp, raking jerk to force 

 Ihim back a little. Repeat so far as necessary to establish the point 

 of stopping and coming back, then, as before, let out a little faster 

 until proved safe when on a fast trot or run. This point is to be 

 made very thoroughly. If it is thought advisable, the bit can be 

 left on for a few days in driving; but usually this will be unnecessary ; 

 for if the horse is properly trained, he can be controlled by an 

 ordinary snaffle bit. 



The Half-Moon Bit 1 . 



The Half-moon Bit, an illustration of which is given, will some- 

 times work very nicely upon headstrong pullers. It seems to work 

 best when the head is well checked up, as shown in Fig. 246. The 

 bit is very simple, merely a circular mouth-piece; with the inner 

 part filed down to about the thickness of the back of an ordinary 

 knife-blade, and rounded to prevent cutting. This makes the bear- 

 ing surface against the mouth so narrow that even the most plucky 

 horse will not have the nerve to pull very hard against it, while its 

 circular form prevents pulling sideways. It should, however, be 

 tried cautiously upon a dangerous horse. 



, Spoon Bit. 



The Spoon Bit is so constructed as to bring the edges of two 

 flanges, when pulled upon, upon each side of the lower jaw. Fine 

 illustrations of this are given in Figs. 247 and 248. In some cases 

 of badly trained mouths, or ofmoderately headstrong horses, it will 

 be found to work very nicely. One point of advantage is its mild- 

 ness, it being only a simple snaffle bit until resisted. It works espe- 



