38 Horse and Man. 



soon as you have got him comfortably in 

 hand, begin to shorten his action by pulling 

 smoothly and steadily when his neck relaxes ; 

 and continue to do so until he drops into a 

 walk if trotting, or into a trot if galloping. 

 Be careful never to stiffen your arms so that 

 they become insensible to the resistance of the 

 horse's mouth, and never to assist them by the 

 weight of your shoulders. 



When you know how to regulate your 

 horse's paces, you may begin to practise 

 changing his direction. In order to do this 

 smartly and suddenly, you must have com- 

 mand of his hind quarters; and you cannot 

 have full command of his hind quarters until 

 you have learnt how to use your legs. But 

 the use of the bridle alone is sufficient to 

 make him gradually swerve or circle to either 

 hand. For this purpose you have only to in- 

 cline your body and hands in the direction to 

 which you wish him to turn ; maintaining the 

 feeling of his mouth with both hands, but 

 strengthening the pull of the inward hand. 

 The pressure of the inward rein on the bit, 

 and that of the outward rein on the neck, will 

 be sufficient to make a well broken horse 



