DISMOUNTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS. 33 



both his hands and his legs to guide and collect the 

 horse, without deriving extraneous support from the 

 bridle and the tenacity of his limbs, he will not be 

 sufficiently perfect to be advanced to the comparatively 

 easy pace of the canter. The more perfect the horse 

 and rider become in the trot, the more collected, elastic, 

 and uniform, will be the horse in the canter. 



In the well-trained horse every evolution in the 

 canter will be equal and true, and forms the most beau- 

 tiful of all the paces. In the imperfect horse, the 

 canter becomes disunited : the hind legs are not well 

 collected under him, or they strike against the fore- 

 feet; the near fore-foot leads, when cantering to the 

 right ; or the off fore-foot, when cantering to the left ; 

 or the near fore-foot is followed by the off hind ; or the 

 off fore-foot is followed by the near hind. Lastly, there 

 is no elasticity in the pace ; the hind-legs draggle ; the 

 fore-legs are wooden ; the horse bores upon the bridle ; 

 and the first slip or stumble brings both horse and 

 rider to the ground. 



In dismounting without stirrups, the horse is brought 

 to the halt, and made to stand quite still. The right 

 rein is placed along the inside of the left hand. Both 

 hands are placed upon the pommel of the saddle ; the 



