92 One and Both Hands. 



distinguished and you can shift hold from left 

 hand to right, or vice versa, more readily than in 

 any other way, by merely placing one hand, with 

 fingers spread to grasp the reins, in front of the 

 other. By having the loop of each rein hanging 

 separate so that the free hand can seize it quickly, 

 either can be shortened or lengthened at will, or 

 they may be so together. Moreover, this hold 

 affords the easiest method of changing from one 

 to both hands and back. 



For if you insert your right little finger be- 

 tween the off reins, and your third finger inside 

 the snafifle rein, and draw the off reins from your 

 left hand slightly, you have a very handy means 

 of using both hands, with the additional value 

 that you can either drop the right reins by eas- 

 ing the length of the left ones to equalize the 

 pressure on the horse's mouth ; or by grasping 

 the left reins with right middle finger over snaffle 

 and first finger over curb, you can shift to the 

 right hand entirely. When in this position you 

 can again use the left hand by inserting its fin- 

 gers in front of the right one and closing upon 

 the reins, as already indicated. In fact, without 

 lengthening the near reins, but merely by placing 

 the right hand in any convenient way on the off 

 ones, you may be ready to use both hands in en- 

 tirely proper fashion. And in this day of two- 

 handed riding, it is advisable to be able to follow 

 the fashion quickly. 



