78 NOTES OX EQUITATION. 



ule of exercises for the horse with too much weight on his 

 shoulders and that pulls too much on the hand. 



The Star Gazer. (The horse that pokes his nose out). A 

 horse with this fault has a rigid jaw and holds his head high, 

 approaching the horizontal. A bad neck conformation in- 

 duces this fault but it generally results from bad riding, the 

 horse being afraid of the hands. 



To correct this fault, set the hand, that is to say hold 

 it stationary above the pommel of the saddle, the reins re- 

 maining taut; close the legs to push the horse up to the bit 

 and tighten the fingers on the reins until the horse lowers 

 his head slightly; loosen the fingers immediately and slack- 

 en the reins. Begin again and continue the lesson until the 

 horse yields at the slightest pressure of the fingers and un- 

 derstands thoroughly that the hand is severe when he pokes 

 out his nose but relaxes completely as soon as he sets his 

 head properly. 



The Horse that Fights the Bit (throws his head). This 

 fault is found only in the horse that holds back because, in 

 order to make the movement of the head, he must diminish 

 the gait slightly. 



To correct the fault, it is not wise to use the hand only, 

 as is frequently done, because any effect of the hands tends 

 to a further decrease of gait. The most rational and at the 

 same time the most certain method is as follows: 



Make the horse move freely and push him energetically 

 •with the legs at the very moment that you feel that he is 

 about to throw his head; at the same time loosen the fingers 

 to allow the neck to be extended and the head lowered. If 

 this plan is not sufficient, hold one rein taut and set the 

 hand that holds it. This method is effective because the 

 head movements can be made only side-wise and become 

 very painful. 



The Horse that Lowers His Head Against His Chest. It 

 is hard work to correct this fault and much more difficult to 

 raise the head than to lower it. To raise the head, begin 

 by extending the neck in order to open the angle it makes 



