SADDLE-HORSE. 



47 



do that, you control them. Thus under control, begin to 

 teach him to back by raising the hind leg as directed ; and 

 when the leg is off the ground, without bearing the rein 

 to either side, raise the head and neck by the rein diag- 

 onally opposite to the raised leg, and the horse to sup- 

 port himself will make a step backward, he must do it or 

 fall. Then immediately bring him forward as before 

 mentioned; pat him, to again assure him of your ap- 

 proval ; he knows he has done exactly what you want, 

 and the next time it is less difficult. Now repeat the 

 operation on the other side, using the other rein in the 

 same way. With very little skill, and in a very short 

 time, say ten minutes, the object will be attained ; point 

 your stick, back goes that leg, one or possibly two steps. 

 Now pat him again, and repeat the first operation on the 

 other side, and you will find he now begins to understand 

 what you want, and in an almost incredibly short space of 

 time the mere pointing of the finger at his flank raises 

 one leg and produces the backward step; again, to the 

 other side the same, and he will go back a few steps with- 

 out the least trouble. Now stop him, and don't allow him 

 to go too fast; to a certain stage he will balance himself, 

 but if hurried will resist the pressure. It has seemed to 

 me often that the animal is as much pleased as his trainer, 

 finding he has succeeded in doing as you desired ; there- 

 fore, when he goes back at all too fast, stop him, and 

 advance him a little. Now pat him and point the finger 

 at his flank; back he goes on the instant, and what brute 

 force could not do in a week, science has done in ten 

 minutes. But the Cockney horseman may say, " Poh, who 

 wants the command of a horse's hind legs?" As a horse- 

 man, I say that I do; give me that control and I can stop 

 a rear, a whirl, or a runaway. 



4th. To Stop a Rear; The horse to rear must have the 



