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hand from your body, to favour his extension ; and as he colkcts him- 

 self the hand returns to the body, and assists him in collecting his haunches 

 under him. 



This action of the hands must bedone with the nicest judgment, other- 

 wise, you would abandon, deceive, deter, and prevent, rather than assist, 

 the Horse's exertion. Be mindful, tlierefore, that the hand does not 

 move, till the extension of the Horse removes it; and during this re- 

 moval, that the hand affords the same support that the Horse requires. 

 When the Horse gathers himself together, the reins would be slack, if 

 the hand was not to return back again, and the Horse would not be able 

 to bring his legs so close, as. by the assistance of the rider's support, he. 

 would be enabled to do. Therefore, as the Horse gathers himself, the 

 hand must return, yielding him that support which assists the haunches 

 coming forv/ard. — The eagerness of the Horse will make him extend 

 himself as far as he can safely, independent of the hand; and the labour 

 and exertion of gathering himself, without support from the hand, ex- 

 hausts his wind and strength, and the Horse is said to be blown. There- 

 fore, it is necessary that the rider's strength should hold out equal with 

 that of the Horse, since the one depends so much on the other. 



So far Mr. Adams : it is not, however, very practicable, to give plain 

 rules upon paper, for lifting a horse along, or for the other manoeuvres 

 observed in a race. We here observe a military riding-master con- 

 vinced, and acknowledging, that a Horse, in swift action, must be sup- 

 ported by pulling at his mouth, an additional reason for disregarding the 

 common-place sophistry of foreign manege writers, lately adopted by 

 some of our Horse surgeons, that the mouths of English Horses are 

 always spoiled by being borne upon. Such a thing may occasionally 

 happen from the aukward riding of heavy and common grooms, who 

 have no other seat on horseback in the gallop, but that which is sup- 

 ported by the bridle, and it may still oftener result from the neglect of a 

 good mouth in breaking; but no Horse's mouth is injured or rendered 

 insensible, by the fair pulling of the jockey, provided it were well made, 

 previously to the Horse being trained ; and I have ridden old racers upon 

 the road, with mouths sufficiently light and sensible, for the most deli- 

 cate touches of the manege, yet capable, and always ready, to pull, with 



the 



