LONG REIN GEAR. 



175 



Fig. 82A. 

 Horse circling. 



pull on the inside rein it is impossible for us to prevent 

 the horse from running back and becoming wound up 

 in the reins on those occasions when he is a trifle rebel- 

 lious ; for, as we pull the rein we 

 force him back instead of round. 



At first, our object in driving the 

 horse with the long reins should be 

 to get him to circle round us in 

 well-balanced style. Hence, he should 

 be bent from muzzle to tail in the 

 direction he is going ; the inward 

 rein leading him off, and preserving 

 the inward bend of his head and neck, 



while the outward rein passes round his hind-quarters 



(see Figs. 88 and 89) and thus makes the track of his hind 



feet the same as that of his fore 



ones, instead of as would usually 



occur if this support were re- 

 moved from the untrained horse 



its forming a concentric circle 



outside that described by the fore 



feet. To obtain this effect, we 



should stand to the side, and a 



little to the rear, of our pupil 



(see Fig. 90), and should regulate 



the comparative tension of the 



reins so as to make the fore feet 



and the hind feet describe the 



same circle. We shall find that 



Fig. 83. 



Side view of driving-pad. 



the lighter the horse is in front (as in the case of a star- 

 gazer), the more must the pull on the inward rein exceed 

 that on the outward rein ; and vice versa. Any tendency 

 to star-gaze or to keep the head too low should be cor- 



