TRAINING A HORSE 



behind the girths till he springs. The hands, 

 held low and feeling the mouth sufficiently to 

 collect the horse, should yield the moment the 

 spring is made, so as to give perfect freedom 

 to the head and neck. As the horse lands on 

 the fore feet, the mouth should again be felt 

 and the legs closed, so as to bring the hind legs 

 under the body. The rider should be careful 

 to press the right knee and seat bone down so 

 as to balance himself and his horse in case of 

 a stumble on landing, as a horse nearly always 

 falls on to his left side ; the heels should also 

 be pressed down. 



If a horse dwells at his fences, or does not 

 get up sufficiently, the rider should raise his 

 hands slightly, close his fingers firmly on the 

 reins, and give the horse two sharp determined 

 blows with the legs and heels, just when he 

 should take off, so as to drive him against the 

 bit and make him rise and spring ; the hand 

 should not be eased till the horse's knees have 

 been raised high enough to clear the fence, 

 when he should be given plenty of rein so that 

 he can stretch his neck, lower his head, and 

 raise his quarters to clear the fence. If a 

 horse attempts to refuse when close up to the 

 fence, it is best to ease the reins, and press in 

 the spurs firmly, or use a whip in the left hand, 



67 f 2 



