44 Horse and Man. 



monly called a hard- and- shar^^ you cannot 

 leap him over a fence, or even extend him at 

 a full trot or gallop, without letting go his 

 head. If you ride him in a single snaffle, you 

 cannot bend or collect him so as to show off 

 his action and make him handy in turning or 

 circling. You must therefore, in order to be 

 fully master of your horse, learn to combine 

 the use of the curb and snaffle, or bit and 

 bridoon, by riding him in a double bridle 

 comprising both. 



You will find no great difficulty in this. 

 Take the two reins in both hands, the little 

 fingers dividing the bit from the bridoon rein, 

 and hold them at equal lengths. You will 

 immediately feel a steady pressure upon the 

 bridoon ; but you will also feel that, if you 

 raise your hands or if the horse thrusts out his 

 nose, tlie bit forthwith comes into play. You 

 thus gain the advantage of holding your horse 

 firmly by the head however fast he may go, 

 while you keep in reserve a mode of handling 

 which will effectually prevent him from rak- 

 ing or boring against his bridle. As soon as 

 you are familiar with the use of the double 

 bridle in both hands, take it in one, and divide 



