|To prevent a horse carrying his head to one side.| For instance, if the near horse carries his head to the near side, the coupling rein on the off side should be taken up, when his head will be straightened. At the same time it must be borne in mind that if a coupling rein is let out the effect is also produced of shortening up the outer rein on the same side, and thus bringing the horse on that side further back than the other.
|To make horses which carry their heads in different ways pull level.| Supposing we have two horses apparently well matched, but that the near horse carries his head rather out to the front and has a light mouth, while the off horse has a hard mouth and carries his head close in to his chest. Now to get this pair to pull equally on the traces we must obviously have the near horse’s reins considerably longer than those of the off horse. If they have been put to with the coupling reins of equal length, both buckled in the centre holes, there will then be three or four holes on each side of the buckles, and the reins can either be let out or taken up (fig. 9).
FIG. 9.—COUPLING REINS OF EQUAL LENGTH.
In this case we should begin by letting out the off side coupling rein two holes, and taking up the near-side rein the same number (fig. 10).
Then as the near horse has a light mouth, he should be put on the cheek, and the hard-mouthed pulling off horse on the middle bar. This fitting will probably suit the horses, and the pull on all four traces will be even.
The reins will now be adjusted like those in fig. 10, which shows how the near horse is able to hold his head well in front of the other, while the collars are brought level.
|Coupling reins must not be too tight.| The most general fault is coupling up both reins too tightly, which makes the horses carry their heads in towards the pole, instead of going quite straight, as they should do. To prevent horses acquiring this habit, it is a good plan occasionally to change their positions, instead of always driving them on the same side of the pole.
FIG. 10.—OFF-SIDE COUPLING REIN FITTED FOR HORSE
WHICH POKES HIS NOSE, NEAR COUPLING REIN FITTED
FOR HORSE WHICH CARRIES HEAD IN CHEST.