HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 97 



Or it may be thought desirable from 'passage shoulder out,' 

 to ' passage ' across the school or down the middle of it, in 

 which case the rider simply makes a turn on the hind feet, 

 and keeps him passaging in the same position as when his 

 head was to the side. On arriving at the opposite side or end 

 of the school, if he wishes to bring the horse to ' shoulder in ' 

 on the other rein, the first thing to do is to change the position 

 of the horse's head from right to left or left to right, as may 

 be, halt the fore feet, and circle the croup quietly round, so as 

 to make the turn on the forehand ; then lead the shoulders 

 off with the outward rein. ' Half passage ' differs from the full 

 passage inasmuch as that in the passage the horse crosses his 

 legs, whereas in the half passage he only half crosses them by 

 placing one foot in front of the other, so that he gains as much 

 ground to his front as the hand to which he is working ; con- 

 sequently the rider requires to use in the half passage more 

 inward leg, and not quite so much outward as in the full. 



The half passage is very good practice, when the horse is 

 farther advanced, to be done at a canter, but he should, of 

 course, first be taught to do it at a walk. The whole of the 

 foregoing ' bending ' lesson can be done at a trot, but unless 

 the rider is himself quite a first-rate horseman, and has got 

 his horse very supple and handy, he had better be content 

 with doing it at a walk, or he may possibly do more harm than 

 good. The rider must also, during this lesson, be careful that 

 the horse does not get into the way of anticipating him. He 

 should avoid always doing the same thing at one particular 

 part of the school, or the horse will begin to do it by himself, 

 so as to get away from the feeling of the rein and closing of 

 the legs, and this would be the reverse of good progress. The 

 rider should also take care that whether in 'passage,' 'half 

 passage,' or ' shoulder in,' his horse is correctly placed, that his 

 shoulders always lead, and that when the horse has once been 

 made to understand what is required of him, he is to be kept 

 well up to his bridle with the legs, and not to be allowed to 

 slide through his work and so get behind the hand. 



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