FIRST RIDING LESSONS 23 



boy gets into the habit of riding on the ball of 

 the foot. 



A great many men, who are otherwise good riders, 

 cannot get out of the habit of clutching at the reins 

 when a horse is jumping a fence. This, let me tell 

 you, is a fatal thing to do, and is the cause of more 

 falls than anything else. I think I have already 

 stated that bending a horse's neck contracts the 

 action of his hind legs. Watch a bad rider, and 

 you will see what happens for yourself. The horse 

 rises at a fence, and for the moment all is well ; but 

 then the rider finds himself launched into mid-air, 

 and involuntarily takes a firm grip on the reins. At 

 that second the horse is wanting to stretch out his 

 neck and get the full benefit of the spring with 

 which he left the ground, but the tightening rein 

 draws in the head and contracts the muscles of 

 the hind quarters. This has the effect of shortening 

 the stride and curtailing the distance which would 

 have been otherwise cleared. The consequence is 

 the horse's hind legs usually catch on the fence, 

 and, if there is a ditch beyond, his fore feet are 

 nearly certain to drop into it. This, of course, 

 means a fall, and when the rider rises to his feet 

 he generally pours out curses, and sometimes blows, 

 on the offending quadruped, for a mistake com- 

 mitted by the man and not the animal. 



The offenders themselves are very seldom aware 

 they are guilty of this grave fault, and, it being a 

 delicate subject for advice by friends, they do 

 nothing to mend their ways. The habit, however. 



