36 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



an-hour gallop is not cantering. The canter proper 

 is about a five or six mile an hour gait, and is produced 

 by training the individual horse to rein back from 

 the three-beat gallop. 



"Manners Makyth Man," the motto of Winchester 

 College, England, is as applicable to horses as it is to 

 men. Manners most certainly do "make" the horse! 



The perfect hack should be broken to a double 

 bridle, and should go well "up into" it — that is, he 

 should feel of and play with the bit without pulling. 

 A horse that pulls, bores or sticks his nose out, is not 

 worth anything as a hack. His mouth, on the con- 

 trary, should be as light as possible and responsive 

 to the gentlest touch. The moment you pick up the 

 reins he should "give you his head" and keep it in 

 position throughout the ride. He should, of course, 

 be bridle-wise, i.e., guided by the pressure of the reins 

 on the neck, and should also be broken to the aids — 

 the leg, the spur, and the whip — so that at a touch he 

 can readily be brought to hand and collected. A well- 

 broken hack should, at a moment's notice, be able to 

 break directly from a walk, or even from a standstill, 

 into this smooth canter, leading on either leg desired. 

 But he should never break without being given the 

 signal. The ability to lead with either leg and at a 

 light touch to change legs on a figure eight, or even 

 on a straight line, should be a part of every hack's 

 education. It is an additional advantage if he has 

 been taught to handle his feet properly and can "tra- 

 verse" (move sidewise at a walk) at least two or three 

 steps without effort. 



He should be willing to stand quietly with the reins 

 loose on his neck while being mounted. (This is par- 

 ticularly desirable in a lady's horse.) He must be 



