6. Double Ring Snaffle
7. Standing Martingale
8. Bit and Bridoon with Halter Shank attached
The breastplate not only holds the saddle firmly in place, but it also keeps it from turning, prevents the girths from slipping back on the horse’s belly, distributes part of the weight of the saddle on the horse’s shoulders instead of having it all on the
girths, and gives the rider a feeling of security and confidence.
A few horses have such wide chests and some such tender skins that a breastplate is apt to gall them.
The best bits for a woman to use are the curb and snaffle. The curb bit in general use is of the Weymouth pattern, as illustrated above (see cut No. 1, [page 150]). The snaffle is jointed (see cut No. 12, [page 150]). Most horses go better with a curb bit with a slight port, such as No. 2, [page 150], though personally I like the pattern illustrated in No. 1, same page, above, quite as well, if not better. For horses with very tender mouths or with sore mouths, the curb bit may be covered with rubber. Other horses, again, go better with a jointed curb, and old horses, whose mouths are so hard that they cannot be brought back to their original condition, may require the use of a heavy port or other device which will cause them pain when the curb rein is tightened.