RIDING ON THE ROAD. 129 



women. These, having complete confidence in themselves, 

 can afford a certain show oi no7ichalance, but it will not do 

 for students to follow their " carelessness," until their own 

 claim to both " hands " and " seat " shall have become 

 perfectly ensured. 



You must, when walking, keep your horse collected : 

 by which I mean that he is to be kept well on his haunches, 

 and prevented from crossing his legs. Let him pick his 

 own steps if going over rutty or uneven ground ; move 

 with him as he moves, turn as he turns, so as to be, as it 

 were, a portion of him, and, when going round a corner, 

 do not pull his head any further in that direction than 

 will just enable you to see his eye. 



Having thus considered the subject of instructing an im- 

 perfectly-broken horse to walk well upon the road — in such 

 a manner as shall gain for him the reputation of being a 

 good roadster, or covert hack — we will now say a few words 

 about trotting. When you want an animal to change from a 

 walk to a trot, signify your wish to him by a light movement 

 of the bridle in his mouth, a pressure of your leg and 

 whip-handle, and an indication of your meaning by a 

 slight rising in the stirrup. When he begins to go, keep 

 him thoroughly well collected, but not on any account too 

 tightly reined in. Timid equestrians do themselves and 

 their mounts great injustice by fancying that a tight grip 

 of the bridle, and consequent shortening of the horse's 

 head, is in any way calculated to ensure their safety. It is 

 exactly the contrary way. Allow somebody to rein back 

 your own head and neck, and then attempt to walk down 



K 



