HOKSEMANSHIP AND TRAINING. 33 



Then the sleight-of-hand in the use of the bit and the 

 impercei3tible motions of the rider's body and limbs, and 

 sound of liis voice, are the qualities necessary to eques- 

 trian success. A saddle-horse is like a piano — to get 

 what you want out of him, you must use your legs and 

 arms, feet and hands, eyes and ears, mind and heart, 

 voice and vigor, body and soul. This is the result of 

 time, patience and careful study and practice for years. 



DIFFERENCE IN HORSES' IDEAS. 



The difforcnce between horses' ideas is so great that, 

 while one is impatient to go on, another is v/iitching for 

 excuses to stop, or he hesitates in his step till a hint from 

 the knees or touch of the spurs gives him to understand 

 what you want him to do. Hold the bridoon, slack the 

 curb-rein, give him the spurs and let him off — in a walk. 

 Well patronized country taverns are famous places for 

 buggy-horses to find excuses to practice their propensity 

 to stop and turn in. The advantage of this is, that a 

 man always knows where to find his runaway horse. 

 These are good horses for drinking drivers ; they take 

 them straight home. Indecision or uncertainty in the 

 rider's mind or action is so instantaneously communi- 

 cated to the saddle-horse, that we vrould urge more care- 

 ful schooling of pupils by competent instructors, and 

 this cannot begin too early in life or in the course of in- 

 struction. 



instructors' errors IN PRINCIPLE. 



AVith young horses some trainers, and indeed military 

 instructors and writers, advocate a svsteni that crefotcs 

 and nurtures doubts and uncertainties in the mind of 

 the horse, at a critical moment of action — a most fruit- 

 ful source of accidents to both horse and rider in the 

 hunting field. Their plan is to ride the colt up towards 

 the fence and then turn off from it. This is to be re- 



