36 



THE CARE OF HORSES 



mean that the reins should be too slack ; that is as 

 absurd as holding them too tight. The illustration 

 (Fig. 16) shows beautifully the correct tension. At 

 the canter and gallop the grip should be firmer. In 

 fact, a well-trained and properly handled horse can 

 tell what is expected of him from the various degrees 

 of tension on his mouth. 



Photo by} \W. Shawcross. 



•IG. 17. — CORRECT POSITION OF RIDER'S HAND WHEN USING A CURB-BIT. 



Always have the ends of the reins under your 

 thumb, and not in the hollow. This keeps them 

 in place, and prevents that constant and irritating 

 fidgeting with the reins. 



When using a curb-bit, as shown in Fig. 17, hold 

 the reins as here depicted, with the curb slack. The 

 curb is a ' safety valve in case of emergency,' if I 

 may so express it. If it is always in use the horse 

 takes no notice of it when it is really needed. 



