ioo RIDING 



try again, bearing in mind that the pressure of the leg should 

 be applied before the feeling of the rein, as it stands to reason 

 that if the mouth be felt first, the weight is thrown almost 

 entirely on to the hind legs, making it very difficult for the 

 horse to bend his hocks, whereas by closing the leg first the 

 horse goes up to his bridle, keeps his balance, and does it much 

 more easily. A dismounted man may be of service sometimes, 

 where horses are very obstinate to rein back when mounted, to 

 do the same as recommended before mounting, but he must 

 not attempt to force the animal to step back with his head up 

 and his nose stuck out, but should always place him first. 



There is another thing to be taken into consideration, in 

 the case of a horse showing a disinclination to rein back with 

 the rider up, and that is, that the horse is perhaps not quite 

 right in the back, and although he may have done his work 

 fairly well up to this, and not shown much, if any, sign of it, 

 yet when asked to do this he is not able to comply, and not from 

 want of will. If this is ascertained to be the reason of his 

 refusing, it must be left to the discretion of the owner as to 

 whether he had not better be put to some other way of earning 

 his living than riding. At any rate a veterinary surgeon's 

 opinion should be taken, as to whether the horse is likely to 

 get the better of it or not. 



This lesson, like the previous ones, should not be continued 

 too long at a time, but should be varied with what the horse 

 has already learnt to do, and when he does it fairly well he may 

 next be taught to canter. 



CANTERING 



The canter should be begun on a large circle, or, if the 

 school is too small to allow of the circle being of good size, it 

 may be done when going large round the house but rounding 

 the corners off. In the first lessons it should be taken up from 

 the trot. After trotting a few times steadily round the circle 

 the pace should be gradually increased, and the horse urged 



