LUNGING THE HORSE. 81 



point, the tendency of their pull will be to raise the head, 

 and consequently to lighten the forehand ; if below it, to 

 lower the head and increase the weight in front. For sim- 

 plicity sake, I am here assuming that a snaffle is used. As 

 the point of application of the mouthpiece (the bars of the 

 mouth) is not in the line of the balancing pole (the neck), 

 my remarks, here, on the action of the reins are made only 

 in general terms ; although they are sufficiently exact to 

 bear out the truth of the well-recognised rule that the hands, 

 when riding, should be held a littJe below the withers. 



TURNING, CIRCLING, AND LUNGING THE HORSE. 



In order to maintain the proper distribution of weight 

 between the fore and hind limbs, the horse, as I have pointed 

 out on page 63, should turn more or less on his centre, 

 without making a pivot of, and consequently throwing an 

 undue proportion of weight on, either his forehand or his 

 hind-quarters. Although it appears to me impossible to 

 work out the problem mathematically, I venture to state 

 that both theory and practice confirm the supposition that in 

 turning, or in circling, which is merely a form of turning, the 

 track of the hind feet should be the same, or as nearly as 

 possible the same, as that of the fore ones. If the curves be 

 concentric, instead of coincident, the pair of limbs which 

 describe the inner curve (or smaller circle) will naturally 

 bear an undue proportion of weight. We have a practical 

 proof of this in the fact that almost all the strains to tendon 

 and ligament which arise from the ordinary method of 

 lunging with one rein, occur in the fore legs. In this form 

 of circling, the turn being made by acting on the head of 

 the horse by means of the cavasson and leading rein ; the 

 head is pulled in towards the centre of the circle and the 

 hind-quarters are allowed to fly out, with the result that the 



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