voice. The words of command which an inexperienced
rider will find most useful are a click of the tongue for a walk, trot,
and canter; "whoa" to pull up; "steady" when he is going too fast, or
indulging in unnecessary leaps and bounds; "go on," with a few pats on
the neck, if he is nervous about passing any object, or shying; and a
quiet word or two of encouragement, with more pats on the neck, when he
is in a state of nervous excitement, as, for instance, on his first day
with hounds.

[Illustration: Fig. 85.--Hunting whip.]

When visiting a horse in his stable to give him a carrot or other
tit-bit, his mistress should call him by his name, and he will soon
neigh on hearing her voice, if she always gives him something nice; for
horses, like poor relations, don't appreciate our visits unless they can
get something out of us. Lady Dilke had a horse which she had trained to
lick her hand. On going up to him in his box she would put out her hand
and say "Lick her, dear," and the animal would give her his mute caress
like a dog: it was very pretty to see how well the pair understood each
other. We may see the power of the voice exemplified in cart horses,
which will turn to right or left, go faster or slower, or pull up,
according as they receive the word of command from the wagoner who
walks beside them. The voice is also greatly used by polo players.
Horses are very catholic in their admiration for tit-bits. They like all
kinds of sweets and fruit, and will even crunch up the stones of plums
and peaches, which require good teeth to crack. An old favourite of mine
was particularly fond of chocolate and jam tarts!

WHIP.

The chief uses of a hunting whip are to help the rider to manipulate
gates, and to be cracked; the former being much more necessary to a
horsewoman than the latter. The crop should therefore be of a
serviceable length. It is the very silly fashion at present to have
hunting whips that are less than two feet long. Many are made of
whalebone, and are covered with catgut, their special advantage being
that their flexibility greatly facilitates the process of cracking. A
more serviceable crop for a lady is one of stiff cane, the thick end of
the handle of which is made rough, as in Fig. 85, or is provided with a
metal stud, so that the handle may not slip when it is pushed against a
gate. Formerly, two feet three inches was the usual length of a hunting
crop for both sexes. Three feet is a much better l