HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 105 



the circle before beginning to canter, or always to strike him 

 off from the trot, but he may now be practised in taking up the 

 canter from the walk when going straight forward, and should 

 be frequently brought from a canter to a trot. When he has 

 settled down at that pace he should be extended to trot out 

 nearly as fast as he can, the rider urging him with the legs to 

 make him step out freely, and restraining him with the hand 

 at the same time ; if a horse does this part of the lesson well his 

 rider may be sure that he is up to his bridle. Horses that are 

 intended to be used as ladies' hacks should be practised in 

 cantering oftener to the right than to the left, it being much 

 easier and more pleasant for a lady that her horse should canter 

 to that hand than to the other. This part of the lady's comfort 

 in riding is not so much attended to as it used to be. About 

 one in every four of the horses ridden by ladies in the Park 

 canter to the left instead of to the right, and this must be 

 because they have not been properly broken to canter for a 

 lady. People who ought to know better say that teaching a 

 horse to canter collectedly spoils his pace at a trot, but in 

 fact it does nothing of the kind. There are, doubtless, plenty 

 of horses that from bad riding get into a loose lobbing canter 

 behind the hand, and would rather go at that pace than trot ; 

 but this is almost invariably caused by the rider not having 

 kept his horse up to his work at any of his paces, and the best 

 remedy for it is to keep the horse well up to his bridle with the 

 leg at a canter, so as to make it harder work for him. He will 

 in most cases soon be glad to trot, and trot freely. 



As before mentioned in the ' Bending ' lesson, the ' half- 

 passage ' at a canter is very good practice in the breaking of 

 the young horse, and it should be begun from the incline. 



After making the half turn to incline, say to the right, the 

 left leg should be closed strongly, so as to bring the horse's 

 croup a little more up. He will not, of course, be expected at 

 first to do the half passage correctly, that is to say, half cross 

 his legs by placing one foot in front of the other, nor should 

 he be asked to do so, but so long as the bend is kept to the 



