The instruments of Riding appertaining to a Horsse.

A Good rider must consider the hardnesse or softnesse of his Horsses mouth, that so hee may temper his bit; for a stiffe [ 30] necked horsse, is not so much to be guided by rod and Spur, as by bit, and bridle: wherefore it must sometime be hard, & sometimes gentle. The hard bits are called Lupati, because they are vnequal, and indented like to a wolues teeth, where∣vnto the Horsse being accustomed, groweth more tractable and obedient to a gentle bit. According to the saying of

And Silius saith: There is also another instrument made of yron or Wood (called Pastomis) and englished (Barnacles) which is to be put vpon the horsses Nose, to restraine his tenatious fury from biting, and kicking, especially at such time, as he is to be shod or dressed. The Indians wer wont to vse no bridles, like the Graecians and Celts, but only put vpon their horses mouth a piece of a raw Oxe skin, fastened round about, containing in it certaine yron pricks stan∣ding to the Horsses lips, putting a long a round trench through his mouth, to the edge whereof they fasten the raines, wherewithall they guide the beast. The Turkish Horsses, [ 50] and Spanish Iennets haue bits, with open circles in the middle, consisting of leather, or I∣ron, to restraine the Horsses fury. The raines are (called Habenae) because they make the horsses, Habeles, that is, tractable, and rulable, to be turned, restrained, or put forward, at our pleasure, according to the saying of Cilius; Page  321 Neither is there any Horsse, swift, or slow, noble, or vnnoble, that can be guided without these, which must be held continually in the hand of the rider, they must not be vnequal, one longer then another, neither thicke, neither weake, nor brickle.

There was a certaine Golden chaine (called Ampix) wherewithall the fore-tops of Hor∣ses were wont to bee bound or tyed vp, and thereupon Homer calleth the Horsse of Mars, (Crysampix) and from hence came that custome of womens frontlets, to be adorned with gold and pretious stones. There are also other ornaments of Horses called trappings, and in Latine (Phalerae) deriued from Phalon in Greeke, signifying bright, because they were wont to put a great deale of Gold and Siluer on them, (as Liuius saith) which Horsses so trapped, were presents for great Princes: And there is a kind of Achates stone, wherwith∣all [ 10] the Indians do adorne their Horsse trappings: and it was apparent in Homers time, that they vsed little Bels, or sounding pieces of Brasse to bee fastened to their horsses bridles and trappings; they hanged likewise Iewels, and pearles to the breast of their Horsses, which Virgill expresseth in this manner:

A good horse-man must also haue a paring knife, wherewithall to purge and open his Horsses feet; this is called by Rusius (Rossneta) and by others Scalprum. There is a kind of Manicle for the pasternes of Horsses, (called Numella.) Moreouer a good rider must pro∣uide [ 20] him stirrops, (called Subsellares and Staphae) which although it bee but a new deuise, yet are they so necessary for euery Ryder, as without them they cannot long continue. They must not be made to straight for the foot, because that then they doe not onley hin∣der motion in that part, and so make it benummed and colde, but also giue occasion of great hurt to the Ryder in case the Horsse fall, except he can so temper himselfe to put but a very little part of his foote therein.

There are also Spurs requisit to a Rider (called Calcaria) because they are fastened to the heele of a man, wherewithall he pricketh his dull Horsse when he would haue him ha∣sten the iourney; and the Greekes deriue it from Muops, signifieng a pricking flye, from imitation of which creature it may seeme they tooke this inuention: but this must bee re∣membred, [ 30] that they are prepared for the dull and sluggish Horsse, and not for the free and full of life; for such a Horsse being pricked therwith runneth forth rather with rage & disdaine then for loue of the iourney, and many times the torment thereof maketh him by kicking out of his heeles to cast off his rider.

Lastly, he must haue regard to his Saddle, whereon hee must sit: for the Barbarians did vse to ride vpon bare Horsses backes, but since that time, the wiser sort of horse-men haue inuented a seate for their owne security. Martiall writeth heereof thus: