THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. 89 



kept close, in order to make the turn square. In turning to tlie left, 

 the little finger should be directed inwards and upwards towards the 

 right shoulder, and the left leg pressed to assist the turn, while the 

 whip on the off side insures its squareness. The wrist must be 

 quite easy and supple. In collecting, reigning back, halting, or 

 bringing the horse to the walk, the action by which he is restrained 

 should again at first be altogether from the wrist, because motion 

 from the shoulder would be too heavy. In yielding to the horse, 

 nothing more is necessary than to turn the knuckles up and the httle 

 finger towards the horse's neck. 



By degrees, as the pupil learns to command her horse riding in 

 this form she must be instructed once more to give free and mobile 

 action to the arm at the shoulder joint, as when riding on both 

 snaffle and curb reins. But at first firmness of the arm is essential 

 to give steadiness to the hand. A good deal has been said about 

 turning horses by pressure of the rein against the neck without 

 acting upon the metal in his mouth ; and opinions very diverse have 

 been expressed on this point. With all deference to the disputants, 

 I submit that both are right and both wrong in some respects. 

 For instance, when the rider has the reins divided and the hands well 

 apart (a section of the lady equitation I propose to say something 

 about hereafter), if the rider turns the horse square to the right or 

 left he must use his legs as weU as his hands, and imperceptibly 

 perhaps to himself (even if he has not been taught by rule) he 

 closes both the outward leg and feels the outward rein firmly, in 

 order to support the horse and prevent him from falling, which 

 otherwise he would be in danger of doing. Now, this support with 

 the outward rein causes it to press against the horse's neck, and to 

 some extent gives him the indication of the rider's will. But still it is 

 simply impossible to do this without acting on the snaffle or bit rein, 

 as the case may be, on one side or the other, as long as the reins are 

 attached to a bit of any sort. And after all, it is the leg which gives 

 the surest indication of the rider's wiU. 



One sees a lad in an Irish fair riding with a flat-headed 

 halter turned through the horse's mouth, and, with the rope only 

 •on one side, he will put the horse through his paces, jump him, 



