.

"When a horse is in movement there should be a constant touch or feeling
or play between his mouth and the rider's hands." Not the hold by which
riders of the foreign school retain their horses at an artificial parade
pace, which is inconceivably fatiguing to the animal, and quite contrary
to our English notions of natural riding; but a gradual, delicate firm
feeling of the mouth and steady indications of the legs, which keep a
fiery well-broken horse always, to use a school phrase, "between your
hands and legs."

You cannot take too much pains to acquire this art, for although it is
not exercised on an old hack, that you ride with reins held any how, and
your legs dangling anywhere, it is called into action and gives
additional enjoyment to be striding the finest class of high-couraged
delicate-mouthed horses--beautiful creatures that seem to enjoy being
ridden by a real horseman or light-handed Amazone, but which become
frantic in ignorant or brutal hands.

"A horse should never be turned without being made to collect himself,
without being retained by the hands and urged by the legs, as well as
guided by both; that is, in turning to the right both hands should
retain him, and the right hand guide him, by being used the strongest;
in turning to the left, both legs should urge him, and the left guide
him by being pressed the strongest. Don't turn into the contrary
extreme, slackening the left rein, and hauling the horse's head round to
the right."

The same rules should be observed for making a horse canter with the
right leg, but the right rein should be only drawn enough to develop his
right nostril.

_Reining Back._--You must collect a horse with your legs before you rein
him back, because if you press him back first with the reins he may
throw all his weight on his hind legs under him, stick out his nose, hug
his tail, and then he cannot stir--you must recover him to his balance,
and give him power to step back. This rule is often neglected by carters
in trying to make the shaft-horse back.

_Rearing._--Knot the snaffle rein--loose it when the horse rears--put
your right arm round the horse's neck, with the hand well up and close
under the horse's gullet; press your left shoulder forward so as to
bring your chest to the horse's near side, for, if the horse falls, you
will fall clear; the moment he is descending, press him forward, take up
the rein, which, being knotted, is short to your hands, and ply the