DISMOUNTING. 25 



is then to support his body on his right hand and left foot, 

 bending the right knee and carrying the leg clear over the 

 horse's quarters to the near side ; the right hand is removed 

 from the pommel to the cantle of the saddle (when a mo- 

 mentary pause should be made) ; the body is then lowered 

 till the right foot comes to the ground, when the left foot 

 quits the stirrup, and the man faces to his left, taking the 

 snaffle rein with the right hand; the man who has been 

 leading the horse stands on the off side having the longeing 

 rein folded up in his right hand, with which he also takes 

 firmly hold of the snaffle cheek -piece, and with the left hand 

 holds the stirrup leather. 



The soldier dismounts in seven motions, three in pre- 

 paring to dismount and four in dismounting. 



There is another, and in my opinion, a safer way to 

 mount and dismount, in backing young horses, and it is the 

 one I always adopt with the snaffle. 



In preparing to mount, I place the near side, that is, the 

 left rein, below the little finger of the left hand, and bring it 

 through the hand, passing it between the forefinger and the 

 thumb : I then place the right rein also between the fore- 

 finger and the thumb, letting it pass through the hand and 

 below the little finger, and then securely close my hand upon 

 them, when I find I have the reins firm in my grasp, and 

 retained by the pressure of the thumb upon the forefinger. 

 Thus prepared, I mount according to the before-mentioned 

 rules. I am thus ready at a moment's notice to divide the 

 reins, and take one in the right hand. In dismounting, the 

 right rein is returned to the left hand ; and the other move- 

 ments made as before laid down. The advantage of this 

 method is, that in case the horse plunges while being 

 mounted, I have him securely in one hand, and having the 

 breadth of it between the reins, am able to divide them with- 

 out confusion, and by turning the forefinger upwards to the 

 right to guide him in that direction, and by depressing the 

 little finger and turning it outwards to the left, to keep him 

 to that hand. 



