86 RIDING 



CHAPTER IV 



HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 

 By ROBERT WKIK 



SUPPOSING the horse to be in fairly good condition for work he 

 should now be regularly ridden every day for an hour or so, 

 always on the snaffle. Every horse may well be broken to do 

 everything that is required of him on the snaffle before being 

 bitted, the reason being that the aids on the snaffle are much 

 more simple to the horse, and more easily understood by him 

 than those on the bit. They are also less severe, and the conse- 

 quence is that he obeys them the more readily ; besides, many 

 young horses, especially weakly ones, are inclined to carry their 

 heads much too low, and if they are ridden on the curb too 

 soon, instead of raising them up and teaching them to carry 

 themselves properly, they never get up at all, but go. all their 

 lives as if they were travelling down hill the whole time you are 

 on their back ; they never learn to use their shoulders as they 

 ought to do. On the other hand, a horse that is inclined to get 

 his head up too much and poke his nose out will, if properly 

 ridden, drop his nose and mouth his snaffle, which he would 

 not do if ridden on the bit, at least certainly not in his earlier 

 lessons. The rider should now carry a whip or small stick in 

 his hand with the rein. It must be left to himself as to which 

 hand he carries it in, but always when he has occasion to change 

 it from one hand into the other the change must be made 

 under hand not over, so that no unnecessary flourish with it 



