8 4 



RIDING 



coaxing will persuade him to advance a step. In this case you 

 sometimes get what you want by turning him quietly to the 

 left and then leading him forward a few steps in that direction, 

 but it is as well to bear in mind that, when a horse obstinately 

 refuses to move after being newly backed, when he does make 

 up his mind to go he often moves much quicker than is 

 expected. 



He should not be tired too much by having the weight kept 



a long time on his back. 

 A few minutes is enough, 

 and then dismount him 

 again. The same care 

 should be taken in 

 dismounting as when 

 mounting, particularly 

 to avoid touching the 

 horse in the side with 

 the left toe when lower- 

 ing the body to the 

 ground. If the rider 

 thus alarms his horse it 

 is just as likely to make 

 mischief as when mount- 

 ing. Of course it de- 

 pends entirely upon the 

 disposition of the animal 

 and the manner in which things have fallen out, whether all 

 this is done in one lesson. 



Nervous horses often require peculiar patience and care ; 

 they may want several lessons, but there is nothing more certain 

 than that the greatest possible mistake that can be made is to 

 hurry. It is most necessary to get the horse to stand quietly while 

 being mounted and dismounted. The utmost pains and patience 

 must be given to this very important part of his breaking. There 

 is nothing much more inconvenient than having a horse that 

 is bad to mount but one meets with a great many that are 



Not been judiciously treated. 



