THE BAEB AND THE BRIDLE. 53 



suppleness to the whole figure. Directly the master is satisfied with 

 the pupil's position, he should place his left hand under her right 

 elbow, urge his own horse smartly on, and give the word " Trot," 

 on which the pupil should, without altering her position or yielding 

 her hand, touch her horse smartly on the shoulder with the whip ; 

 he will then trot forward. At the first step he takes the master 

 should help the pupil up with his left hand, and commence counting 

 his "one," "two" in exact accordance with the horse's action. 

 In nine cases out of ten the lady will succeed, with a fair stepping 

 horse, in catching at the first attempt the rise at the right moment, 

 and the increased impetus given by the horse will assist her, while 

 her preparatory lessons in rising and falling will now prove their 

 value. 



Should any failure, however, attend the first effort, both horses 

 should again be brought to the walk ; the lady should be allowed to 

 re-arrange her habit, and recover from the inevitable flurry which 

 attends any failure of this sort. Patience, concise explanation, and 

 cheerful manner on the part of the master will jDresently find their 

 reward. All ladies do not possess great nerve, but most of them 

 have great courage and perseverance, and after a false start or two 

 they get on their mettle, and are sure to catch the true action. 

 When once they have it, the master should make the pace sharp 

 and active three or four times round the school, which is long 

 enough for a first attempt. A couple more turns of equal duration 

 should terminate the first trotting lesson. The lady should walk 

 her horse round the school until both are cool, make much of him 

 by patting him on the neck, and then be taken off. Day by day the 

 instructor can slightly increase the length of the lesson, always 

 beginning it, however, as above described, until the rise and fall of 

 the pupil at a trot is perfectly true and" fair. There should be no 

 twist from the waist, the shoulders perfectly square, every movement 

 in exact harmony with the horse's action. After the lady can rise 

 and fall in the saddle unaided by the master, he is better on foot, 

 because he can stand behind his pupil, and at once correct any fault 

 in her position or riding ; and no fault, be it remembered, however 

 trivial, should be allowed to pass uncorrected. 



