as practised walking in a straight line, and turning
on either side, for a few days, she may walk in a circle, and soon make
her horse wheel, change, demi-volt, &c. The circle should be large at
first; but when the pupil has acquired her proper equilibrium, &c., it
must, day by day, be gradually contracted.

In riding round a circle, the inner rein should be rather lowered, and
the body inclined inward. This inclination must be increased during
succeeding lessons, as the circle is contracted, and the pupil quickens
the pace of her horse. She must practise in the large circle, until she
is able, by her hands and aids, to make the horse perform it correctly.
The inside rein must be delicately acted upon; if it be jerked, at
distant intervals, or borne upon, without intermission, the horse, in
the former case, will swerve in and out, and, in the latter, the rider's
hand, and the animal's mouth, will both become, in some degree,
deadened; and thus their correspondence will be decreased. In order to
procure correct action, the inner rein should be alternately borne on in
a very slight degree, and relaxed the next instant,--the hand keeping
exact time in its operations with the cadence of the horse's feet. The
direction is to be frequently changed; the pupil alternately working to
the right and the left, so as to bring both her hands into practice.

[Illustration]

As soon as the rider becomes tolerably well confirmed in her seat and
balance, and in the performance of the simple aids and animations, as
well in large as small circles, she should begin to ride in double
circles; at first of considerable diameter, but decreasing them, by
degrees, as she improves. Riding in double circles, is guiding the horse
to perform a figure of 8; and this, in the language of the
riding-school, is effecting the large and narrow change, according to
the size of the circles. The number of the circles may be increased, and
the sizes varied, with great advantage both to the rider and the horse.
They may be at some distance from each other, and the horse be guided to
work from one to the other diagonally. Thus, suppose he starts from _a_,
he may be made to leave the upper circle at _e_, and enter the lower one
at _d_; leave it at _c_, and enter the first again at _b_; and so
continue for some time: then, beginning at _f_, to quit the lower circle
at _c_, enter the upper one at _b_, leave it at _e_, and enter the lower
circle again at _d_. Thus,