118 Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 



action from below upward. When a horse raises his head, 

 prevent any slowing of the gait by acting with the legs. 

 Require but little to begin with, and as soon as the horse 

 raises his head very little and yields his jaw ease and pet 

 him. 



Horses that star gaze. — The star gazer has a high, nearly 

 horizontal head and a stiff jaw; a bad conformation pre- 

 disposes to this fault, but this defective position generally 

 comes from the horse having been badly ridden and fear- 

 ing the hand. To correct a horse whose nose is in the air, 

 fix the hand on the pommel of the saddle, the reins re- 

 maining stretched, close the legs to push him up to the bit, 

 and keep the fingers tightly closed until the horse lowers 

 his head a little ; then open the fingers immediately and 

 yield to him. Repeat this lesson until the horse yields to 

 the least pressure of the fingers and until he well under- 

 stands that the hand is severe only when he carries his 

 head up and that it relaxes as soon as he places his 

 head properly. The rules laid down in training for the 

 education of the horse's mouth here find application. 



The use of the rearing reins, running martingale, and 

 Colbert reins may assist in this case. 



Hot-headed horses; horses that jig, — The reasons for 

 which horses fret and jig are numerous. Some have too 

 short a walk; training should remedy this fault. Others 

 lack impulsion and become sulky at the pressure of the 

 leg; they must be taught the lesson of the spur and put 

 back in the forward movement. Others again, too nervous, 

 fret, move sidewise, and can not bear the pressure of the 

 rank; they must be worked alone for a long time, put into 

 high condition, and the rider must be as steady as possible. 

 But most of the time the fault comes from the fact that the 

 horse, through fear of the hand, does not dare to take the 

 support or bearing on the bit which favors a free, extended 

 gait; in this case the rider whose hand is too hard must be 

 changed, the horse must then be made to extend his neck 

 frequently to give him confidence in the hand and to lead 

 his weight on to the forehand. These first results accom- 

 plished, one should extend him by long periods at a slow 

 trot on serpentines, circles, and figures of eight, to accustom 

 the horse little by little to the actions of the aids. 



Horses that pull. — Being at the walk, use half halts on 

 one rein ; when the horse yields let him straighten himself 



