24 HORSEMANSHIP. 



head too low — the hands should be kept "down," in 

 order to prevent the horse from carrying his head too 

 high, for if he does so, he will, by altering the proper 

 arrangement of the spinal column, seriously interfere 

 with the action of the hindquarters. 



While keeping a good hold of the horse's head, so as 

 to make him go up to his bridle, the rider should " give 

 and take " to every movement of the animal's head and 

 neck, so that he may not be induced to think that the 

 rider is pulling against him. He should, on the con- 

 trary, be taught by delicate handling of the reins to 

 understand that the bit is not used as a means for 

 applying force to overcome force, but rather for com- 

 municating the rider's wishes to the horse. Besides that, 

 yielding to the movements of the animal with the hands, 

 arms and body, will enable the horseman's weight to be 

 carried smoothly forward without any up-and-down 

 motion, which would cause an increased amount of 

 work to be thrown on the horse, and would be unpleasant 

 to the rider. 



^^ Bumping''' up and down in the saddle, which is often 

 caused, when going at the canter or gallop (see page 20), 

 by the rider sticking out his feet and keeping his legs 

 straight, is, frequently, due to the rider maintaining 



