Hand and HeeL 39 



first the hand, and then the rider's legs, will cease 

 to act. In increasing or decreasing the speed, 

 the rider's legs will always act before the hand, 

 so that by insuring impulses from the croup, the 

 hand shall always have somethino^ with which it 

 may deal. In the walk and in the trot, the horse 

 should be ridden in straio-ht lines, in chancres of 

 direction upon circumferences of various diam- 

 eters, and in figures of eight ; and for a few min- 

 utes each day the animal should be put into a 

 good brisk trot, as rapid as proves consistent with 

 cadenced action ; that is, the impulses from the 

 croup must not be so great as to throw the weight 

 upon the forehand, nor must the forehand be 

 so elevated, or its forces so carried back, as to 

 impede the hind quarters. Whenever fresh im- 

 pulses are demanded from the croup, the hand 

 must receive them and measure their effects ; so 

 in taking the walk from a halt, or the trot from 

 the walk, the hand first relaxes the tension until 

 the impulse is received, and then meets the im- 

 pulse. In reducing the speed, and in coming to 

 a halt, the rider's heels close against the sides, 

 and the hand increases the tension upon the 

 mouth, until the desired result is obtained, and 



