8 UNASKED ADVICE. 



Having gone througli tlie lesson at a walk^ circling to 

 both hands, the horse may be urged to the trot, repeating 

 the turnings as in the walk. The trot must be moderate 

 in pace, and the horse should be shghtly restrained by 

 the bridle and urged by the pressure of the legs, so as to 

 make him bend his neck and throw the weight more on 

 his haunches — the two great desiderata. 



The trot must always be of an even and regular pace ; 

 he must never be allowed to ^^ scuttle ^' away at one 

 minute and then have to be sharply pulled up to a jog- 

 trot again. On the other hand, if the pace be too slow 

 the horse will go to sleep over his rather monotonous 

 work, and may fall down. I need hardly observe that 

 these lessons are on no account to be continued till the 

 horse grows dull and tired ; he will in such a case take a 

 disgust to the whole thing. Besides, when he is tired 

 he will probably hit himself or cross his legs, and a 

 chipped knee is not ornamental, nor in any way desirable. 

 A little practice in reining back is as well, but it is the 

 thing of all others that must not be overdone. Still, a 

 lady's horse must back when he is wanted to do so. 



Last of all, but not least in importance, comes the 

 canter. The horse will have been trotted and walked 

 both ways round the manege ; but he must, for obvious 

 reasons, only canter to the right. In the canter the 

 horse^s neck must be bowed and his head drawn in. 

 His forehand should be rather raised, and he will have 

 most of his weight on his hind legs. He must learn at 

 last to start from a walk to a canter; but at first the 

 easiest way to make him canter with the ofi" leg leading 

 is to start him at a trot to the right, and press him into 

 a canter at the corners. He will then seldom fail if urged 

 at the right moment, and with a strong pressure of the 



