332 THE HORSE 



bad riders, and the legs should be held perpendicularly from the knes 

 downwards. The chest should be well forward, and the waist in, and the 

 rise nearly upiight, but slightly forward, and as easily as can be effected 

 without effort on the part of the rider, and rather restraining than adding 

 to the throw of the horse. 



Good hands and a quiet seat only, with the aid of a cui'b-bit properly 

 adapted to the mouth, are required to develop the canter, by restraining the 

 (^allop; but to make a horse start off at once; with a lead of either leg as desired, 

 is altogether another matter. To do this, the canter with either leg leading 

 must first be completely taught, so that there is no difficulty in making the 

 horse display that particular pace at any time. Then just at the moment 

 before starting, pull the rein, and press the heel on the side opposite to the 

 leg which it is desired the horse should lead. The reason of this is obvious 

 enough ; every horse in starting to canter (and many even in the canter 

 itself) turns himself slightly across his line of progress, in order to enable him 

 to lead with that leg which he thereby advances. Thus, supposing a horse 

 is going to lead off with the off fore-leg, he tuims his head to the left and his 

 croup to the right, and then easily gets his off-leg before and his near-leg 

 behind into the line which is being taken. Now, to compel him to repeat 

 this action, it is only necessary to turn him in the same way, by pulling his 

 head to the left, and by touching him with the left heel, after which he is 

 made to canter by exciting him with the voice or whip, whilst at the same 

 moment he is restrained by the curb. When once this lead is commenced, 

 the hold on the curb and pressure on the legs may be quite equal ; but if, 

 while the canter is maintained, it is desired to change the leading leg, the 

 horse must be collected and roused by the bit and voice, and then reversing 

 the pull of the reins and the leg-pressure from that previously practised, so 

 as to turn the horse in the opposite way to that in which he was started, he 

 will generally be compelled to change his lead, which is called " changing his 

 leg." The seat in this pace is a very easy one, the knees taking a very 

 gentle hold of the saddle, the feet not bearing strongly upon the stirrups, 

 and the body tolerably upidght in the saddle. The hands must not be too 

 low, but should keep a very gentle but constant pressure upon the bit, and 

 should, if there is the slightest tendency to drop the canter, rouse the 

 mouth by a very slight reminder, and also stimulate the spirits by the voice 

 or whip. 



The gallop being generally, though not always, his fastest pace, the 

 horse may be forced into it readily enough by the stimulus of the voice, 

 whip, or spurs. Sometimes very fast trotters cannot gallop so fast as they 

 can trot, but these are rare exceptions, and need not be considered in any 

 other light. It is therefore useless to describe the mode of starting this 

 pace ; but some allusion may advantageously be made to the best method 

 of riding it. There are two seats adopted, the ordinary one being to sit 

 down into the saddle and keep as close to it as possible, but another being 

 also practised called standing in the stirrups. The former is the usual 

 seat, and it is only in racing or in the very fast gallop at other times that 

 the latter is adopted. In sitting down the feet may be either resting on 

 the ball of the toe, as in the other paces, or with the stirrup " home " to 

 the boot, as is common in all field-riding. The body is thrown easily and 

 slightly back, the knees take firm hold, the rider being careful not to grip 



