150 HUMANE HORSE-TRAINING 



As soon as the horse steps forward promptly at a 

 light tap of the whip, with each leg alternately and 

 you standing at his left, it is time to transfer the action 

 to the saddle. Place a boy or an assistant in the saddle ; 

 standing by the left shoulder, seize the reins at the 

 withers with your left hand, and start him high-stepping 

 with the whip held in your right hand. In a few moments, 

 with you working from the ground in this manner, you 

 can mount him yourself and use the whip by swinging 

 the right hand first from one side, then the other. Soon 

 the touch of the toes against the front leg will cause him 

 to step high. 



After some practice a touch with the toes will 

 start him and a light twitch of the reins will keep him 

 at it. 



It is sometimes quite a help when beginning this work 

 to place a board on the ground so that the horse will 

 strike it when he paws. The sound of the foot striking 

 the board seems to help the horse to raise his legs higher. 



In riding the park walk, keep both reins drawn close 

 and the hand down on the withers. The horse's nose 

 should be drawn close to the shoulder. When he gets 

 the idea, it is best to take another gait out some distance 

 from the stable and work the horse back towards the 

 stable. In all the gaits it pays to work toward home, as 



