212 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



the stirrup must not be too strongly pressed 

 upon, as this will throw all the rider's weight 

 upon the left side, and may cause the saddle to 

 turn. On making the rise, great care must be 

 taken not to advance the left shoulder, nor to 

 turn the body to the left ; many riders do these 

 things with the idea that they will enable them 

 to rise with more ease. But this is an error, for 

 such movements will not only occasion fatigue, 

 but will also render the rein-hold unsteady, and 

 the action of the foot and knee uncertain. The 

 body and shoulders must always be square to 

 the front when the horse is trotting straight 

 forward, the body remaining as erect as the 

 action of the horse will allow. 



To stop a well-trained horse in this gait, it 

 will simply be necessary for the rider to cease 

 rising, sit down to the saddle, and gradually 

 loosen the reins. Many horses, however, are 

 trained to make the stop in the usual way, by 

 having the reins tightened. The advance and 

 the turns are to be conducted in the same man- 

 ner as that described for the walk. 



In the English trot, the horse must be kept 

 well up to his gait ; should he appear to move 

 heavily or disunitedly the reins must be grad- 

 ually shortened, and the animal be collected. 

 Should he step short, in a constrained manner, 



