90 THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. 



and turn him to either hand. There is no metal at all in the mouthy 

 although the hemp is not a bad substitute ; but the rope being only 

 on one side, it is evident that it is not pressure upon the neck that 

 turns the horse, but the action of the boy's leg against the inter- 

 costal muscles of the horse, and the inflection of the lad's body to 

 the hand he desires to turn to. 



Moreover, in the case, let us say of a dragoon, we will suppose at 

 riding school drill, it would be utterly out of the question to turn 

 horses by pressure on the neck and preserve order at the same time. 

 Let us suppose a double ride — seven mounted men on either side of a 

 school or manege. They are going large round the place, and the 

 instructor gives the word " Right and left turn." If each man of 

 the fourteen were to turn his horse by pressure of the reins against 

 the neck, instead of by the aid of leg and hand, the result would 

 be that in place of making a square turn at right angles with the 

 boards, each horse would describe a segment of a circle, more or less 

 large, according to the susceptibility of his neck, and the stiffness 

 or otherwise of his ribs. The consequence would be that the two 

 sides, instead of passing left hand to left hand through the 

 intervals (and it must be remembered that there is little room to 

 spare), would be on the top of each other, and in confusion at once. 

 And if this would be bad at a walk, it would be still worse at a 

 canter. In either case it would be impossible, by the application of 

 such aids, to preserve the dressing. The above, I submit, is a 

 sufficient reason, where the utmost precision in riding is required, why 

 turning a horse by the action of the rein against his neck (if, indeed, 

 it can be done at all without the leg) is objectionable; and another 

 objection in the case both of the dragoon and the lady rider is that 

 the motions by which such aids could be applied are too wide for neat 

 and elegant riding. 



Horses in their breaking may be taught to answer all sorts of 

 " cross aids ; " but for simplicity and ease of comprehension there is 

 nothing in equitation so good as the system practised in the German 

 and our own cavalry riding schools, the proof of which lies in the 

 fact that, although years ago one did not get even an average 

 amount of intelligence as a rule in our rank and file, yet every 



