Hands 103 



ing in the sense that he is making a distinct muscular 

 effort to do so. But he invariably acquires the habit, when 

 reaching his hands well forward, of resting the weight of 

 his hands and arms on the horse's mouth. This irritates 

 the horse, who either refuses to go up to his bit or begins 

 to pull. A horse pulls, as does the rider, from one of two 

 causes : either because his mouth has been so deadened or 

 calloused as to be no longer sensitive, or because he is being 

 pulled. The former comes from improper bitting and 

 breaking ; the latter from the fact that beyond a certain 

 pressure the harder he pulls the less pain he feels, the circu- 

 lation being cut off and the nerves deadened. Thus it 

 comes about that pulling hands make pulling horses. 



This question of hands is much better understood in 

 England than in America. The English are as superior to 

 the Americans in hands as the Americans are superior to 

 the English in seat. In England you will everywhere see 

 good hands — farm-lads, butchers' boys, cabmen. Good 

 hands in England are the rule, while with us they are 

 quite the exception. The great majority of horses in 

 America have had their mouths injured or spoiled altogether 

 by heavy, unyielding hands. 



The American and the English styles of holding the 

 reins are illustrated at page 104. The American style is the 

 result of copying the jockeys in driving trotting horses, a 

 style of hands which may be well enough for track work 

 but is manifestly wrong for ordinary riding or driving. 

 The same sort of thing is noticeable in American har- 

 nesses. Trotting horsemen use an overdraw-check in 

 order to extend their horses' noses, for the purpose of giv- 



