88 RIDING 



hold of him. He should always while riding on the snaffle 

 ride with a rein in each hand, with his elbows close, well down 

 under the shoulder, and the hands about six inches apart ; the 

 rein must be held firmly in the hand, it is a mistake to think 

 that hands are light when the horse is continually drawing the 

 reins through them ; light hands yield, but do not allow the 

 horse to pull the reins through the hands as he pleases. If the 

 horse be inclined to carry himself too low, the hands should be 

 raised a little so as to try to get him to raise his forehand and 

 carry his head in the proper place. 



When the horse is properly placed his crest and forehand 

 should be raised, his neck arched, and his nose nearly under 

 his ears. If you were to take a line through the horse's body, 

 his nose should be nearly in line with the top of his tail. It is 

 a mistake to try to get a horse's nose too much drawn in. Many 

 horses are so seen, placed in such a manner that their noses 

 almost touch their chests, and some people may think this 

 looks well. Such animals are, as a rule, neither safe nor com- 

 fortable to ride. The judicious horseman would rather of the 

 two ride one that carried himself with his nose a little too much 

 out. 



While trotting try to get the pace regular and lively, but not 

 hurried, and the horse should not be kept at a trot too long ; he 

 should not be asked to make the corners of the school too 

 square at first, but should be allowed to round them off in the 

 same manner as when on the circle. After trotting a short 

 time walk and halt, and it is good practice for the horse to dis- 

 mount once or twice during his lesson. With horses that are 

 badly formed, and as the saying goes * have their heads put on 

 the wrong way,' so that they are much inclined to star-gazing, the 

 hands should be kept low, with the reins just short enough to feel 

 their mouths, and in most cases they will drop their nose and yield 

 to the snaffle ; but the rider must not make the mistake, espe- 

 cially in the beginning, of trying to hold the horse down. A 

 pair of running reins are often of great assistance with horses of 

 this class. They should be about eighteen feet long ; if they are 



