There is a certain pattern of headstall which has the cheek strap coming down to a piece of brass which is best described as a D or squared ring. The nose band ends at the front side of the squared ring. The chin piece ends at the after side of the squared ring, and carries the end of the headrope. From the bottom side of the squared ring hangs a snap to take the ring of a snaffle. So one keeps the headstall on the horse, and snaps the bitt on or off.
The advantage of curb bitts seems to be mainly in dealing with dangerous, or very powerful horses, or for an additional delicacy in steering; but range men prefer to make appliances as simple as possible, and rather dread a complicated gear which may go wrong in sudden emergencies.
SADDLE WALLETS. For the general purposes of travel I carry in the wallets a tin of gall cure, a medicine case containing chlorodyne, and tablets of quinine, carbolic acid, cascara, a salicylate and permanganate of potash, with a lancet, forceps, surgical needles and silk, and a dressing; a mosquito salve such as oil of pennyroyal, and some netting; a toothbrush in a case, soap in a tobacco pouch, and a towel; toilet paper; a little sealed bottle of matches for emergencies; an emergency ration such as cake chocolate; luncheon; something to read; notebook and pencil.
THE HORSEMAN'S DRESS.
The horseman's dress
PROTECTION FROM LIGHT. In the history of the North American wilderness there are three very distinct phases. The buckskin period of heroic adventure; the period of blue shirts and overalls marked by chaotic disorder and the period of yellow khaki and brown clothing with orderly progress.
The period of blue clothing, however, was one of perfect law and order in the wildest parts of Canada; of comparative disorder in the North-Western States, and of total chaos in the South-Western deserts. Even in Western Canada, suicide was common, and terrific drunks would seize in a moment upon whole communities; but the Mounted Police, wearing scarlet, kept their discipline so that homicides were almost invariably hanged, and robbers imprisoned with prompt efficiency.
In the North-Western States, the suicides, drunks, lynchings, robberies and homicides were considered as privileges of a free citizenship. There were vestiges of government.
In the South-Western States, the only law was that of the revolver, and duelling took the place of government.
In the three regions the amount of disorder varied precisely with the intensity of the sunlight, and lawlessness ceased with the introduction, at the turn of the twentieth century, of yellow, khaki and brown colours in clothing.