HOW TO HOLD THE REINS. 



with the reins, when they are being changed from one 

 hand to another, would be quite sufficient for a jockey to 

 lose a race, or for a hunting man to fail to prevent a re- 

 fusal at a fence. It frequently happens, in the hurry of the 

 moment, that the rider who adopts the " school " system, 

 neglects to shorten the off rein at all, and, consequently, 

 pulls his horse round to the left, by reason of the near 

 rein being shorter than the off. Another objection is that 

 one hand has got quite a different hold on the reins, 

 to that which the other has. When the reins are " crossed," 

 both hands have identically the same hold, while the off 

 rein can be passed into the left hand in an instant. 



On this subject. Colonel Greenwood, in his excellent 

 work, 'Hints on Horsemanship,' pertinently remarks, 

 that " Even our finest two-handed English riders (who, 

 in my opinion, are the finest riders in the world), when 

 they use the right hand on the right rein, continue to 

 hold both reins with the left hand, and then slip the 

 right rein a little through the left hand in order to place 

 both hands even. This is a most vicious habit. When 

 they quit the right rein to use the whip, or to throw the 

 arm back at a fence (another most vicious habit), by 

 their system of holding and handling the reins they 

 have not the power to place the lengthe7ied right rein 



