ken myright[+] rein; I shut
my hand, the right rein operates again, resuming its place as before, I
open my little finger and carrying the end of it upon the right rein, I
thereby slacken the left and shorten the right; I shut my hand entirely
and immediately open it again, I thereby lessen the degree of tension
and force of the two reins at the same time; again I close my hand not
quite so much, but still I close it.

It is by these methods and by the vibration of the reins, that I unite
the feeling in my hand with that in the horse's mouth, and thus I play
with a fine and MADE mouth, and freshen and relieve the two bars in
which the feeling resides.

Therefore, it is that correspondence and sensation between the horse's
mouth and the hand of the rider, which alone can make him submit with
pleasure to the constraint of the bit.

Having thus explained the different positions and motions of the hand,
permit me in a few words to shew the effects which they produce in
horsemanship?

The hand directs the reins, the reins operate upon the branches of the
bit; the branches upon the mouth-piece and the curb, the mouth-piece
operates upon the bars, and the curb upon the chin of the horse.

So far for the management of the bridle hand upon thorough-broke and
well-dressed horses. But in breaking young horses for any purpose, the
reins in all cases ought to be separated, nothing so unmeaning, nothing
so ineffectual as the method of working with them joined or held in only
one hand, this is very evident in the instances of colts, and of stiff
necked, and unworked horses of all kinds, with them it is impossible to
do anything without holding a rein in either hand, which rein operates
with certainty and governs the side of the neck to which it belongs, and
surely this is a shorter way of working than to make, or rather attempt
to make the left rein determine the horse to the right, and the right
guide him to the left. In the above instances of stiff awkward horses
this can never be done; and altho it is constantly practised with those
which are _Drest_, yet it is certain they obey, and make their _Changes_
more from _docility_ and _Habit_, than from the influence of the
_outward_ rein, which ought only to act, to balance and support, while
the inner bends, inclines, and guides the horse to the hand to which he
is to go.

This can never be done so fully and truly with the reins joined, as when
they are separated into each hand,