294 THE HORSE. 
thousands mure sore backs than they need have done if they had never 
practised it. In the trot, the foot should bear strongly on the stirrup, 
with the heel well down, and the ball of the foot pressing on the foot- 
piece of the stirrup, so that the elasticity of the ankle takes off the jar, 
and prevents the double rise, which in some rough horses is very apt to 
be produced. The knees should always be maintained exactly in the 
same place, without that shifting motion which is so common with bad 
riders, and the legs should be held perpendicularly from the knee down- 
wards. The chest should be well forward, and the waist in, the rise nearly 
upright, 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. 
Goop HANDS and a quiet seat only, with the aid of a curb bit properly 
adapted to the mouth, are required to develop the canter, by restraining 
the gallop ; 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 diffi- 
culty 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 desirea 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 turns 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 tclerably upright in the saddle. 
The hands must not be too low, but should keep a very gentle but con- 
stant 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 
