THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. 65 



his front, and obliquely to his right at the same time, until he 

 arrives at the boards, when he will completely have changed the 

 hand he was working to, and at a canter would, if necessary, be 

 called upon to strike off with the left leg instead of the right. 



After executing the " half passage " correctly, the pupil may 

 practise the "full passage," the difference between which and the 

 " shoulder in" is again concisely explained in the "Aid Book." 



" Q. What is the difference between the ' passage ' and ' shoulder 

 in'? — A. In the passage the horse bends and looks the way he is 

 going. The outward are crossing over the inward legs, and the 

 inward rein leads. In the ' shoulder in ' the horse does not look the 

 way he is going. The inward are crossing over the outward legs, 

 and the outward rein leads." 



"Q. What is the difference between the full and half passage? — 

 A. In the 'full passage ' the horse crosses his legs. In the 'half 

 passage ' he only half crosses them, placing one foot before the 

 other." 



The pupil will find the passage much more easy to execute than 

 the "shoulder in," though, I repeat, no horse would do the former up 

 to the hand as he ought to do unless he has been well drilled in the 

 latter. 



The greatest care on the part of both master and pupil is indis- 

 pensable to carry out this lesson. The slightest inadvertence or 

 false movement is at once answered on the part of the horse by 

 his taking advantage of it and putting himseK in a wrong position, 

 whereas if he is carefully ridden, and kept well up to the hand, 

 the subsequent cantering lesson will be much more easy to 

 perform. 



It must be clearly understood, however, that for a lady to attempt 

 to execute the" bending lesson" by written directions alone, and 

 unaided by the vigilant superintendence and oral instruction of a 

 first-rate master would be a mistake. Clear and concise as the 

 language of the "Aid Book" is, it is impossible for any man writing 

 such directions to indicate the precise moment at which each move- 

 ment of hand and leg is to be made, any more than the man who 

 writes the score in music can regulate the hand of the instrumental 



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