32 



HOLDING AND HANDLING THE REINS. [CHAI>. 



extending themselves ; and the facility of adjusting the 

 length of the reins to the degree in which they extend or 

 collect themselves, makes the difference of whether you 

 can ride such horses or not. If, in riding a half-broken, 

 hot, or violent horse, he jerks his head down so as to 

 draw one rein six inches longer than the other, it is 

 impossible to bring the. thumbs together without slack- 

 ening the longest rein at the moment you wish it 

 tightened four or five inches. I need not dilate on 

 the effect of this in riding such a horse as I have 

 supposed. 



This French military system, then, of shortening the 

 reins in two-handed riding is actually ridiculous. But a 

 ridiculous system is better than no system at all. And 

 except this French system, I know of none taught save 

 those which I have attempted to teach in this chapter. 



What mistakes are made in this way, even by the 

 finest untaught horseman, are shown in the last para- 

 graph of this chapter. rr/. 



In all the practices enjoined above, the hand which 



