48 ANGLO-FRENCH HORSEMANSHIP 



necessary to turn the horse by the pressure of the rein 

 on the neek only : to do this the horse must be first 

 balanced and brought back on his hocks, and if the 

 rider wants to turn, say, to the left, he should then 

 rather ease the hand, so as not to stop him, and carry 

 it to the left so that the right rein touches the neck and 

 makes him incline his head to the left ; he can then 

 pivot the horse round on the near hind by pressing in 

 the left leg, not the right, as would be the case if the 

 horse were being turned by the left or direct rein. 



When the rein is pressed against the neck it also 

 acts on the bit, and to counteract the contradictory 

 indications thus given, it is at first necessary either to 

 open the direct rein, or to press in the leg on the side 

 to which the turn is desired. The pressure of the rein 

 and the leg of the same side forces a horse to move 

 both his forehand and quarters to the other side, and is 

 useful when a gradual turn is desired. 



When the direct rein is used, the indication is so 

 evident and the effect so strong that the rider must 

 support the quarters with the outside leg to balance 

 the horse. But the pressure of the rein on the neck has 

 the effect of making the horse bring his quarters slightly 

 towards the outside of the circle, and so there is not 

 any need to close in the outside leg to prevent the 

 quarters from flying out, as the horse's body is bent in 

 a way that prevents this ; the nose and quarters being 

 both turned to the same side. 



If a horse refuses to turn, say, to the left, he has 

 fixed his weight on to the off hind leg, and he must be 

 made to move it by intermittent touches of the right 

 spur, the right rein being eased and the left rein opened 

 so that the pull is at right angles to the horse's body. 



