104. CAVALRY HORSEMANSHIP 



Reining back is another step in the exercises which 

 aim at alternately increasing and decreasing the base 

 of support. 



The exercises in increasing and decreasing the paces, 

 which the young horse undergoes, generally make it 

 easy for him to move backwards. 



The horse may, nevertheless, owing to pain or a 

 bad disposition, refuse to go backwards. He fixes 

 himself on his hind legs, contracts his spine, and resists 

 the action of the reins. 



To overcome these bad positions, in which the horse 

 is behind the hand, the rider should disj^lace the 

 quarters to the side with his legs, or alternately oppose 

 each of the shoulders to the corresponding hindquarter, 

 and he will profit from the displacement of the quarters 

 to again use his hands. 



In the execution of this movement the horse should 

 be calm and straight, and he should walk slowly and 

 be always ready to move forward again to the pressure 

 of the legs. At first, especially with keen horses, it is 

 advisable, after pressing the horse forward again, to 

 slacken the reins completely and give him ease. 



When these results have been attained, one tries 

 to obtain a change more and more smooth from the 

 forward to the backward movement, and vice versa ; 

 one should balance the horse between the forward and 

 backward movement by making only a few steps in 

 each direction. 



B. How to supple the spine. — The suppleness 

 of the spine is obtained by the exercises already 

 mentioned, but especially by work on a small circle 

 at a canter gradually increasing in speed. It is the 

 best of suppling movements to the side, and one should 

 make frequent use of it. 



