128 Circling with Forehand and Croup, 



at a time, and before long she will do so in either 

 direction. You cannot, however, consider her as 

 perfect until she can handily complete the circle, 

 with the opposite fore foot immovably planted, in 

 either direction at will, and without disturbing 

 her equilibrium. But this is much harder to do, 

 and if you propose to give Nelly a college educa- 

 tion you must first qualify yourself as professor. 



You should now at the same time test how well 

 you have taught Penelope to guide by the neck. 

 If you will use the pressure of your legs judi- 

 ciously, so as to prevent her from moving her 

 hind feet at all, you should be able to describe 

 part of a circle about them by such use of the 

 reins as to make her side step with the fore feet. 

 When she can take two or three steps with fore 

 or hind feet to either side quickly, and at will, 

 keeping the hind or fore feet in place, you have 

 made a very substantial gain in her training. 



There can be, of course, only one pivot foot. It 

 is the one opposite the direction in which you are 

 moving the croup or forehand. But to teach 

 Nelly to use the proper pivot foot you must begin 

 much more carefully, and it is perhaps not neces- 

 sary, if you aspire only to train her for road use, 

 to be so particular. 



Properly speaking, you ought about this time 

 to give Nelly a little side suppling of the neck, so 

 as to make the parts respond readily to your will. 



