THE AIDS. 59 



As the riding-school term, " aids," is not generally under- 

 stood by horsemen in this country ; I regret that I am forced 

 to employ it (modified as I have explained) from the ab- 

 sence of any popular synonym. The stable expressions, 

 " mouth " and " mouthing," are misleading ; for they 

 wrongly imply that the horse is to be controlled exclusively 

 by his mouth, that is to say, by only one end of his body, 

 instead of by both ends, as he ought to be, and as we shall 

 see further on. In deference to custom I shall, however, 

 use these expressions in the following pages ; but with the 

 understanding that " mouth " signifies capability of answer- 

 ing the aids ; and " mouthing," instruction in their appli- 

 cation. 



RESPECTIVE ACTIONS OF THE AIDS. 



The reins can be used to bend the head and neck ; to 

 restrain the forward action of the horse by exerting pressure 

 on the mouth in a direction opposite to that in which he is 

 proceeding or in which he is placed ; to turn the head and 

 neck to the right or to the left ; to lower them ; to raise 

 them ; or to combine, when practicable, two or even three 

 of these actions, as is done when the head is drawn to one 

 side and lowered by the action of one rein, and when the 

 movements of the horse are checked at the same time by 

 the pressure of both reins. 



The whip or stick may be used either as a local or as a 

 general stimulant to movement. The local effect may be 

 converted, by association of ideas, into a general one. 

 Thus, although the purely instinctive result of a cut of the 

 whip on the hind-quarter or on the shoulder might respec- 

 tively be a kick or a bite at the supposed aggressor ; it will 

 be taken by many saddle and harness horses as a signal to 

 go on. independently of the position of the seat of pain, 



