200 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



The medium course seems the most natural one to 

 pursue, that is to say, to train the horse to carry 

 his neck as high from the withers as is compatible 

 with control, and to demand no pronounced flexion 

 at the poll. I have obtained happy results from this 

 procedure : once a horse learns to go light in front 

 at a trot and canter with no hold on his mouth he 

 will balance himself correctly without any excessive 

 " collecting," and the rider's power of control is all- 

 sufficient. 



The Arabs provide us with good examples of 

 the two extremes. The true desert Arabs of Syria, 

 who generally ride their mares, control them with a 

 chain round the nose instead of a bit, and they move 

 with as high a carriage of the head as a horse at 

 liberty, whilst the agricultural population and towns- 

 men use a bit of the severest pattern, and their 

 horses carry their heads with the nose very much 

 tucked in. 



I have not touched on the carriage of the head 

 from the point of view of vision, as although Hayes 

 insists that w^hen the nose is brought in the vision 

 is limited, Major-General F. Smith, Director of 

 Veterinary Service, whom I have to thank for much 

 valuable technical information, is not in agreement 



