THE CANTER, 231 



horse. Some horses, after having fah^ly started 

 in the canter, will bend their necks so as to 

 carry their chin closer to the throat, while 

 others again will extend the neck so as to carry 

 the chin forward. In the first instance, the 

 reins will have to be shortened in order to give 

 the animal the proper support in the gait, as 

 well as to keep up the correspondence between 

 his mouth and the bridle-hand ; in the latter 

 they will require to be lengthened, to give him 

 more freedom in his movement. Should the 

 reins be held too short, or the rider's hand be 

 heavy and unyielding, the horse will be con- 

 fined in his canter ; should the reins be held too 

 long, he will canter carelessly, and will either 

 move heavily upon his fore-legs, or break into 

 an irregular trot. 



A rider may by attending to the following di- 

 rections readily determine whether her horse 

 be leading with the leg she desires, and also 

 whether he be advancing in a true and united 

 manner : If he be moving regularly and easily, 

 with a light play upon the reins in harmony 

 with the give and take movements of the hand, 

 his head being slightly inclined in a direction 

 opposite to that of the leading leg, and his ac- 

 tion being smooth and pleasant to the rider, he 

 will, as a rule, be cantering correctly. But if 



