134 THE HORSE 



iimount and character of the pressure on the reins, 

 slight though it may be, and will know at once that a 

 new and strange man is driving them, and they will 

 show it by some slight alteration in their pace, and 

 by an inquiring movement of the ears. A boy or girl 

 should be taught to drive, not by holding the reins 

 over some old or underbred horse who has no delicacy 

 of mouth, but by handling a young, spirited, sensitive 

 horse who responds to every touch. " Hold your reins," 

 says a famous horseman, "as if they were made of 

 thread, and would break if you pulled on them." In 

 other words, the effort should be to hold the reins with 

 just that slight amount of pressure which will prevent 

 them from flopping, and will maintain a kind of elec- 

 tric communication between man and horse. Not every 

 man can learn to do this, and I have known profes- 

 sional horse-breakers who could not do it, and whose 

 horses, though otherwise well-trained, always had bad 

 mouths. 



But, although the horse should be driven with the 

 lightest possible hand, he should be driven all the time; 

 and this is what he likes. He likes to feel himself 

 under control. The reins should never be really loose, 

 except when the horse is walking. Then, and especially 

 going up hill, let him have his head as he wants it; but 

 keep your eye on him, and be ready to check any 

 departure from a straight line. 



A light hand on the reins and a keen eye on the 

 horse's ears — this is the epitome of a good driver. 

 The horse always signals with his ears. If he is about 

 to kick, the ears fly back and the watchful driver, see- 



