HANDS 



that he can play with the bit and ease his 

 feelings * 



One should not pull at a horse's mouth ; the 

 rider should close his fingers on the reins and 

 press the horse's mouth against the bit, not pull 

 the bit against the mouth, that is to say, the 

 pressure of the bit should not be greater than 

 the resistance, and the rider should not try to 

 pull harder than the horse. 



To stop a horse in any of the paces, the 

 rider should therefore grip the reins between 

 the thumbs and first fingers, close in the knees, 

 force the heels down, and gently press the 

 horse against the bit. The moment the horse 

 commences to stop, the pressure of the knees 

 should be removed, the stop completed the 

 grip on the reins should be immediately and 



* It is also better, in most cases, for the rider to let go 

 the small of the back and sit on the end of the spine, as 

 by sitting on the fork he brings the weight forward and 

 inclines the horse to hasten his pace. If the horse throws 

 his quarters out it is advisable to bring the shoulders into 

 line with them with the pressure of the outside reins against 

 the middle of the neck and not to force the quarters back 

 with the leg ; a horse throws his quarters out in order to 

 avoid being collected on to the leg of that side, and con- 

 sequently it is a sign of a weakness which should have 

 attention. An excitable horse should be managed almost 

 entirely with the reins, and the legs should be kept per- 

 fectly still. 



35 D 2 



