THE PRIMER. 2 I 



There is a great deal of misleading- nonsense 

 written about ' light ' hands, for on some occasions 

 a hand too light may be as bad as a hand too heavy. 

 Not that the rider should use a particle more force 

 than the occasion requires, btU good hands are those 

 that do the 7'ight thing at the right time. I bring 

 my horses so that they can be managed by a 

 thread, and I always try to control the animals by 

 gentle vibrations of the reins ; but when a headstrong 

 horse tries to force the hand, or endeavours to get 

 his head down so that kicking can be indulged 

 in, or makes an effort to turn about, it must be 

 promptly met and checked. If the rider takes a 

 constant pull against the horse, it will teach the 

 animal to pull against the reins, and a heavy hand 

 will spoil the mouth of any horse. But if a young 

 or undisciplined horse finds that it can take liberties 

 with a hand that is not ready to check insubordi- 

 nation, all sorts of vices are sure to follow. The 

 light touches with which all true horsemen endea- 

 vour to control their horses come as a reward for 

 good behaviour after their corrections, which must 



resembled the European seat, notwithstanding the cumbrous and high-placed 

 saddle of the East, and the same thing struck me in looking at the photo- 

 graphs of mounted Arabs from the northern coast of Africa : in all these the 

 grasp was from the thighs to the knees ; the lower parts of the legs were 

 about perpendicular, and free to apply the sharp point of the stirrup as spurs, 

 and the stirrup leathers were but little shorter than is customary in Europe — 

 in some cases no shorter. 



