226 EESTIVENESS: ITS PREVENTION AND CUKE. 



done carefully, skilfully, above all, patiently but reso- 

 lutely, the result will be a horse moving in complete 

 obedience to the will of the rider, at all degrees of 

 speed, with perfect ease to itself, and without apparent 

 effort on the rider's part ; for the animal will have learned 

 to modify the propelling and bearing action of its hind 

 legs in accordance with the pressure exercised by the 

 rider's legs, whilst the lever action of the head on the 

 neck produced by a properly-fitting and carefully-ad- 

 justed bit being transmitted directly to the anterior 

 extremity of the spinal column, and indirectly through 

 the medium of the reins towards the centre of motion, 

 will regulate the amount of action most effectually. 

 The two figures of Plate V. illustrate in different 

 senses what we have here endeavoured to convey by 

 words. The upper one shows a horse whose hind legs 

 are subject to no efficient or direct control, the action 

 both of the bit and of the rider's legs being concen- 

 trated altogether on the forehand through the diagonal 

 tread on the stirrup and the pull on the reins directed 

 upwards towards the rider's neck. The lower figure, 

 on the contrary, shows a horse whose body moves 

 under the perfect control of the rider : the tread on the 

 stirrup is vertical, the pull on the reins not far from 

 horizontal, and directed towards the rider's seat and 

 the common centres of gravity and motion. Both fig- 

 ures sit nearly exactly on the same part of their re- 

 spective horses. The great difference between the seats 

 lies in the position of the leg from the hip, and espe- 

 cially from the knee, downwards ; whilst the great dif- 

 ference in the carriage of the two horses lies in the re- 

 spective positions of their necks. Some of the other 

 plates illustrate the same thing in different ways. 



