THE HORSEMAN'S MANUAL. 43 



ingly, the rider taking care not to collect the horse too 

 soon, bnt to let it be done by degrees. 



Let it, for a short time, be the extended pace, or what is 

 called, a hand gallop, allowing the horse liberty to exert 

 himself, that he may learn to cover his gronnd ; after some 

 time, try to collect him a little more, and although raising 

 him in front a trifle every lesson, the rider must endeavour 

 to keep him up to a free and unconstrained action, rising 

 higher in front and springing more from his haunches so 

 that when properly trained and with a good rider on his 

 back, he might be made to canter, and to all appearance, at 

 the extended canter, by the side of another horse walking 

 well out. Many young horses, however, are collected too sud- 

 denly in the canter, and by these means, are crippled instead 

 of being suppled, so that they never canter well afterwards. 



In applying the aids for the canter, the rider must be 

 particular that they are smooth, and well timed ; the horse 

 being urged to the trot, he should feel both reins lightly ; 

 this will raise him and lighten his forehand; a pres- 

 sure of both legs will bring his haunches under him, and 

 a double feeling of the right rein, with an extra pressure 

 of the left leg, will cause him to strike off with the right 

 fore leg, followed by the right hind one, which his called, 

 true and united. 



To lead with the left fore leg, the aids must be reversed ; 

 that is, the double feeling must be on the left rein, and the 

 pressure from the right leg, and attention must be paid to 

 time the application of the aids when the horse is raising 

 his fore foot. 



I have explained the meaning of ■ true ' and ' united/ as 

 applied to the canter ; it may be necessary to say some- 

 thing of the opposite terms, ' false ' and ' disunited/ A horse 

 is said to canter false, if, when going to the right, he leads 

 with his near fore foot, which if followed by the off hind one, 

 is both false and disunited. If, in cantering to the left, he 

 should lead with his off fore foot, that would be false ; and 

 if followed by the near hind one, both false and disunited. 



