56 Horse and Man. 



so as to realize, if you think it v/orth while 

 to do so, the equestrian marvels of chivalrous 

 romance. 



You will easily perceive that the true diffi- 

 culty of your present practice consists, not in 

 the proper use of the legs themselves, but in 

 the additional difficulty which their use will 

 throw upon the hands. The office of the two 

 is different but similar. As the hands are to 

 yield when the horse's mouth resists, and to 

 pull when it gives way, so the legs are to close 

 when the horse's weight falls backward, and to 

 relax when it flows forward ; and therefore a 

 perfect horseman will seldom or never use his 

 hands and his legs precisely together. But 

 the difference between the two indications is 

 this ; that the horse's flanks are comparatively 

 callous, and that his mouth is highly sensitive. 

 The use of the legs will therefore, if well 

 timed, be always tolerably correct ; whereas 

 that of the hands requires in addition the most 

 careful elasticity of touch. 



2. Working sideways. When you have got 

 your horse perfectly collected and light in 

 hand while working in a straight line, you 





