HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 95 



in.' If the horse be placed in ' shoulder in ' correctly, his body 

 from head to tail should be bent so as almost to describe a 

 third of a circle ; but the mistake people who do not sufficiently 

 understand the use of the movement generally make is that, 

 instead of placing their horses in this way, they bring the fore- 

 hand too much in, so that the horse is nearly if not quite square, 

 and consequently there is very little if any bend at all. Still, 

 supposing the horse to be working on the right rein, the fore- 

 hand should be brought in by a feeling of the right rein, and 

 the left leg closed in the same manner as if the horse were 

 .going to incline to the right ; when he is in that position the 

 right leg should be closed and the shoulders led off by the left 

 rein, the bend being kept to the right, so that the horse is 

 gaining ground to his left (sideways) though still bent and 

 looking to his right. The left rein leads the horse and the 

 right bends him ; the pressure of the right leg makes him cross 

 his legs (which he should do with both fore and hind legs), and 

 the left leg prevents him from hurrying away from the pressure 

 of the right or from running back behind the hand ; so that his 

 fore and hind feet move on two distinct lines, without advanc- 

 ing or reining back. The horse must not be allowed to hurry, 

 and should be frequently halted in this position by feeling 

 both reins and closing the left leg, but the closing of the leg 

 should have more to do with his halting than the feeling of the 

 reins. 



It is not likely that the horse is going to understand all 

 these things at once and be willing to do them the first time of 

 asking. The lesson must be gone about quietly and gradually, 

 at first by getting a little extra bend to whichever hand the horse 

 is working, without asking him to cross his legs at all and without 

 checking the pace, then by degrees getting his forehand a little 

 more in and leading him off with the outward rein for a few 

 .steps only, and letting him go forward again. Then bring his 

 forehand in again and halt him, and bend him while halted in 

 that position to the hand he is working, and try to lead him 

 off for a few steps from the halt and forward again. If you 



