REINING-BACK. 87 



are equally advanced we turn the head to the left by a 

 stronger feeling on the near rein, and having applied some 

 appropriate aid (such as the leg or whip, if riding ; or rein, 

 if using the long reins) to the off flank or quarter in order 

 to keep the hind-quarters straight, we " feel " both reins, so 

 as to make the horse step back with his off hind and near 

 fore. To obtain the step to the rear with the near hind and 

 off fore, we apply the opposite aids. In Fig. 7, the horse 

 is beginning to take the left diagonal step (near fore and 

 off hind), and is completing it in Fig. 8. For further infor- 

 mation on the rein-back, I beg to refer my reader to Points 

 of the Horse, in which I have discussed this pace at some 

 length. The subject of reining-back is dealt with very ably 

 in Barroil's admirable book, UArt Equestre. 



By practising the horse at the rein-back we teach him 

 to obey the pressure of the reins with his head and neck 

 and with his hind-quarters at the same time ; in fact, to 

 obey it with both ends of his body, and not with the front 

 end only. This work has also a strong moral effect on 

 the animal in teaching him discipline. It is, as we might 

 naturally infer, specially applicable to the breaking in of a 

 horse which bears too much weight on the reins. We may 

 take for granted that until a horse has learned to rein- 

 back with facility and precision, he cannot be considered 

 to have a good mouth. 



THE STANDING MARTINGALE. 



The use of this martingale, from a breaking point of view, 

 is to teach the horse, if he be inclined to throw up his head 

 as a " defence " against the action of the bit on the bars of 

 the mouth, to abstain from doing so. The principle by 

 which we gain our end in this respect is by making the animal 

 associate in his mind the idea of pain with the act of throw- 

 ing up his head. We can put this principle into practice 



