HOUSE CONTROL 17 



be both brutal and clumsy. One culls " contact " the 

 elastic correspondence which ought to exist Ijctween 

 the rider's hand and the horse's mouth ; in the case 

 ol" some horses — in particular young ones — the contact 

 is a steady equal feeling ; out of doors at the fast 

 l)aces, and especially in a charge, the contact can 

 become a support more or less strong. 



The hands, like the legs, can act, resist, or yield. — 

 The reins being adjusted the hands act when they 

 increase the tension of the reins ; they resist when they 

 fix themselves; they yield when they follow the move- 

 ment of the neck. It is very important to know how- 

 to act, resist, and yield, at the right moment. The 

 actions of the hands should be progressive. The 

 hand which resists has a very powerful effect without 

 irritating the horse, as an active pulling would : it 

 produces its effect by reason of its firmness, and it 

 should yield the moment the horse obeys. 



An active hand is one w^hich acts on the equilibrium 

 or on the impulsion ; a passive hand is one which, 

 whilst preserving the contact, does not oppose either 

 the impulsion or the displacement of weight. 



The many and diverse sensations and resistances, 

 transmitted by the reins to the hand of the rider, have 

 consequently necessitated the variety of the actions 

 of this hand. Amongst these numerous actions, it is 

 necessary to determine and define those, of which the 

 simple and evident effects suffice to obtain all the 

 movements useful in military equitation. 



A. The Reixs regulate the Impulsion 



The two reins acting together should have the 

 effect of decreasing the pace, stopping the horse, or 



c 



