riding him in it over a country. It at least doubles one's power over a
puller, and is invaluable for controlling and guiding a "green" animal.

[Illustration: Fig. 48.--Maximum length of Standing Martingale.]

It is a common idea that the chief use of a running martingale is to
prevent a horse raising his head too high. We find, however, that when
our best flat race and steeplechase jockeys and other good horsemen ride
with this martingale, they almost invariably have it so long, that it
has little or no effect in keeping the head down. When a horse is
prevented from raising his head too high by a standing martingale
attached to the rings of the snaffle, he is punished by the tension of
the martingale being transmitted to the mouth-piece of the snaffle, if
he tries to get his head in the air; but the moment he brings his head
down and bends his neck, cessation of the painful pressure will reward
him for his obedience. This automatic means of dispensing punishment and
reward is so accurate in its working, that a horse soon learns the
lesson set before him. But with a running martingale, the rider, in
order to reward the horse for bringing his head into proper position,
would have to slacken out the reins with a promptness that would be
seldom attainable, and with an entire disregard of control over the
animal. In fact, with a running martingale, adjusted so as to prevent
the horse from getting his head too high, the reins would have to
perform the dual office of keeping down the head, and of regulating the
speed, which duties could seldom be successfully combined. With a
standing martingale, however, the rider can safely relinquish the
adjustment of the height of the animal's head to the martingale, and
consequently he is not forced to check the horse's speed, when he wants
to get his head down. Some good horsemen, on finding that the running
martingale did not perform its supposed office efficiently, have
discarded it altogether, and thenceforth have trusted to their hands to
act as their martingale. In this they were right not to use a running
martingale to keep a horse's head down; but they were wrong in thinking
that keeping the head down was the only, or even the principal, use of
this article of gear. If we closely examine its action, we shall find
that the great value of this martingale is to aid the rider in turning a
horse by keeping his neck straight, when cantering or galloping, which
object is greatly facil