78 THEORY OF MOUTHING. 



the horse to keep one part of his body fixed, while we are 

 " suppling " the other end. The horse, as I have already 

 said, should be taught to move as a whole, and not in parts. 



NOTE. When riding or driving a young horse in a field 

 for mouthing instruction, decide in your own mind exactly 

 where you wish him to go, and then try to take him over the 

 ground you have chosen. By doing this you will accustom 

 him to the aids and be able to see how his education is 

 progressing. When a horse is exercised on a road or definite 

 track, there is slight occasion for applying the aids, and the 

 rider may think his mount most handy until he gets him 

 into a field, and finds he cannot guide him where he wishes 

 with any certainty. 



COMBINED ACTION OF THE AIDS IN FORMING THE MOUTH. 



From an examination of equestrian pictures, we may learn 

 that "the knights of old," and in fact all European military 

 horsemen up to the commencement of the present century, 

 rode in such a position that they could use their legs as an 

 aid only by means of the ends of their sharp and long 

 spurs. Hence they controlled their horses almost entirely 

 by the bridle. The result of this method of equitation, as 

 we may see from the extremely severe nature of the bits 

 they used to employ, was to make their horses heavy in 

 hand. Even when the animal arched his neck in obedience 

 to the bit, he would naturally seek to relieve his mouth by 

 abstaining as much as possible from bringing his hind legs 

 under his body. The horse makes the same " defence " 

 when he is " tied up " by side -reins (see page 93). Baucher 

 (see page 261), who was the great reformer in school break- 

 ing and riding, insisted on the principle of beaucoup de 

 jambes et pen de main. By this he meant that the pressure 

 of the legs (with a touch of the spurs when necessary) 

 should be used in order to bring the horse's hind legs under 



