i.] FIT FOR COMMON RIDING. 5 



But I see no "reason why, because " soldiers are com- Two hands 



should be 



peBed to guide their horses with the left hand only, and ihe 



with the fourth finger only between the reins, that ladies 



and " civilians should be condemned to the same system. 



On the contrary, I would have ladies as well as gentlemen 



use both hands to the reins, whether of the curb or of 



the snaffle, somewhat as the rough-rider or colt-breaker 



uses the reins of a single snaffle ; but the reins should 



enter the hands outside instead of inside the fourth 



fingers, and they should quit the hands between the first 



and second fingers instead of between the first finger 



and thumb, as will be explained in the next chapter. 



Fasten the end of a rein to the upper part of the 

 back of a chair ; pull the reins enough to raise two of 

 the legs off the ground, and to keep the chair balanced 

 on the other two. Take your reins as ladies and soldiers 

 are taught to take them (Fig. 1), both grasped in the left- 

 hand, the fourth finger only between them, and (I quote 

 from the regulations of the English cavalry) " the top of 

 the thumb firmly closed on them -the upper part of the 



