76 THEORY OF MOUTHING. 



greatly handicapped, because riding schools usually teach 

 only in the stiff uneasy military way to which the hunting 

 man rightly objects, and boys are therefore allowed to pick 

 up riding as best they can, being accompanied in many cases 

 at first by some ungainly old coachman, who possibly gives 

 them only a good illustration of what not to do. The young 

 rider, unless he is naturally active, graceful, and observant, 

 thus contracts bad habits, which cling to him for the rest 

 of his riding days. Surely eating is a much more natural 

 and easy thing for a boy than riding, yet most parents 

 recognise the advisability of having a child taught how to 

 use properly its knife, fork and spoon while they totally 

 ignore the riding. 



REQUIREMENTS OF A GOOD MOUTH. 



A horse may be said to have a good mouth when he obeys 

 the aids with promptness, accuracy, and precision, and 

 when he carries himself in the manner most suitable to the 

 work he has got to do. The combined weight of the body 

 of the saddle horse and of his rider must, therefore, be 

 properly distributed between the fore and hind legs. If the 

 animal leans strongly on the mouthpiece of the bridle, he 

 will be " heavy in front." If, on the contrary, he refuses 

 to " go up to his bridle " (remains " behind his bridle ''), 

 he will have an undue proportion of weight on his hind legs. 

 In order that the rider or driver may keep in touch with 

 the horse, it is necessary that the animal shall allow him to 

 maintain a certain amount of " feeling " on the reins, and 

 of pressure by the legs, so that he may remain in communica- 

 tion with both ends of the horse. For ordinary require- 

 ments, and especially for 'cross country work, the amount 

 of feeling on the reins which the animal should bear with 

 equanimity, might naturally be somewhat in excess of that 

 which would be needed for mere purposes of communica- 

 tion between horse and rider. It is evident that the more 



