S4 RIDING FOR LADIES. 



In the lessons on turning, he may if needful be touched with 

 the whip, 07ily if needful^ and then the lash should fall as lightly 

 as the fly from some expert fisherman's rod, the touch of the silk 

 or whip-cord coming simultaneously with the touch on the bars of 

 the mouth. For instance, he is required to turn to the right and 

 hangs a bit on the rein without answering the helm, then a slight 

 touch on the near shoulder will send him up to his bit, give him 

 an inclination to turn smartly in the direction wished for, and 

 the movement may be hastened by the point of the whip being 

 pressed against the off buttock, or upper thigh on the outside. 

 The pull must not be a jerk but a decided lively pull. Always 

 let him go forward as much as space will permit of before 

 making another turn ; he must not be confused and so provoked 

 to be stubborn or fight. Let all the turns be to one hand for 

 the first few minutes then turn him in the reverse direction. 

 Should he get his head down and endeavour to establish a 

 steady dead pull, do not indulge him, but step in closer to his 

 quarters so that the strain is at once off the reins, and the 

 moment that he once more feels his bit instantly make him come 

 to a full halt with the word '' Whoa." To make a horse stand 

 after being halted, the Arabs throw the bridle over his head and 

 let the rein drag on the ground. When the colt is being broken 

 the bridle is thus left hanging down between his fore legs, and 

 a slave gives it a sharp jerk whenever a step in advance is 

 taken. By this means the horse is duped into the delusion that 

 the pain inflicted on his mouth or nose is caused by his moving 

 while the rein is in this pendant position. What is taught in 

 the desert maybe taught in the paddock. The slightest attempt 

 to move forward without the " click " must at once be stopped. 



The "backing " lesson is, as a rule, a very simple one, though 

 there are some horses which decline to adopt this retrograde 

 motion. To rein back, the trainer, standing immediately behind 

 the colt, either exerts an even and smart pressure on both reins, 

 drawing them, if need be, through the mouth, when the horse 

 will first bend himself getting his head in handsomely and then 

 begin to step back. At first he will be perhaps, a little awk- 

 ward, but will soon learn to use his hocks and to adopt this 

 strange gait. If there be any difficulty about getting his head 

 in — it must not be up and out with the bit in the angles of the 

 mouth — the assistant should place the flat of his hand on the 

 animal's face pressing its heel firmly on the cartilage of the nose. 

 The backward movement must cease on the word "Whoa ! " 

 and the relaxation of the rein. A horse must not be taught to 

 run back, some acquire the bad habit too readily to a dangerous 



