T H E -:- H O R S E 



degrees this knowledge can be transferred 

 to the spade bit, so that he will stop and turn 

 by a pull on this bit and the feel of the 

 reins on his neck. To teach a horse to stop 

 properly is discussed in "Sliding." 



A quick way to rein a horse is to reverse 

 this process, using the hackamore for the first 

 few rides and then a snaffle bit for about a 

 year, and when the horse is bridlewise to the 

 snaffle a light Pelham may be used, and by that 

 time the horse's mouth will be practically 

 made. 



To use a hackamore successfully, never 

 keep a steady pressure on the horse's nose; 

 while, on the other hand, a slight feel of the 

 bit at times may be maintained. 



Gaits. — The ordinary horse has three gaits : 

 the walk, the trot and the canter. Such a 

 horse is called three-gaited or square-gaited, 

 and these are the natural gaits of a horse. A 

 running walk, single-foot, rack, which approx- 

 imates a fast single-foot, foxtrot, and pace 

 are so-called artificial gaits. In some in- 

 stances they are natural to the horse, espe- 

 cially the pace. 



A square-gaited horse is generally better 

 for mountain use or when working over 

 rough country, because he carries his legs 

 higher from the ground than the animal that 

 single-foots or paces. Also a square-gaited 

 horse is apt to be more agile on its legs than 



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