THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. 101 



is " cut down," and she places her right hand outside her right 

 knee, and her left hand outside the near side upper crutch, she will 

 have the reins at nearly the same angle, and about the same feehug 

 on the horse's mouth, as would be obtained by a man in setting his 

 horse going. 



In order to counteract any tendency of this position of the hands 

 to interfere with the rider's proper balance, the left foot should be 

 ■carried well forward, while the leg is pressed firmly againt the third 

 crutch, and an equally firm grasp of the upper crutch is taken with 

 the right knee. A slight bend forward of the figure from the waist 

 upwards is admissible, but great care should be taken by the 

 instructor that this is not overdone, but regulated by the angle at 

 which the left foot is placed. With the slight bend forward, how- 

 ever, there should be no rounding of the back or shoulders, or drop- 

 ping of the head. Neither should the hands be allowed to get too 

 forward; they will be somewhat in advance of their position at a 

 canter, but not be more than six or eight mches from the body — the 

 hands with the knuckles upwards, the elbows only shghtly bent. 



The ground selected for this exercise should be well known to the 

 instructor — sound, good-going turf, perfectly free from rabbit holes 

 or rotten places. The pace should be gradually increased from a 

 free canter to about half -racing speed, the master making the pace 

 himself, and carefully watching his pupil in every stride her horse 

 takes. The lady should be instructed to let her horse "take fairly 

 hold " of her, and press him with the leg imtil he strides freely 

 along in his gallop. She should keep her hands shut firmly on the 

 reins, and rest the former against the saddle. The horse then, 

 while taking well hold of her, will not pull^ nor will she pull an 

 ounce against hhn, the consequence being that when she desires to 

 decrease her speed, she has only to"" lean back gradually from her 

 galloping position, bringing the body first perfectly upright, and 

 then inclining back at about the same angle she previously carried 

 it forward, raise her hands up from the saddle, and carry them back 

 to her waist, while she turns the little fingers inwards and upwards 

 towards it, which will cause her to feel the curb reins with a double 

 feeling to the snaffle, and in about a dozen strides she can thus collect 



