260 ON RIDING A FREE-GOING HORSE 



the head lad, looking back, by turning his head over 

 his shoulder, (for he must not move his body on 

 such an occasion,) calls to the boy to take a gentle 

 pull at his horse, and come up with him to his (the 

 head lad's) horse's quarters. The head lad rates his 

 horse a little faster, and the boy's horse, being one of a 

 placid temper, (that is, a sort of horse that will make a 

 race with anything, as it is called,) patiently waits, and 

 retains his place without any trouble to the boy what- 

 ever. Now, to regulate the boy's temper gradually, 

 and to bring him patient in riding a free horse, the 

 head lad, turning his head, should talk to the boy, and 

 point out to him the kind, easy, and free manner the 

 horse he (the boy) is riding, goes in his sweat, com- 

 pared with the craving one he himself is riding ; and 

 how necessary it is for him (the boy) to be very 

 still and quiet on the back of such a horse ; also, to 

 observe to him that whenever he wants to make a run 

 w ith his horse, he has nothing more to do than quietly 

 to lift his hands off his horse's withers, and give him 

 a gentle pull or two, which the horse knows (if he has 

 been well taught as trained) is a challenge for him to 

 make a run for the rally he can easily live in, — a sort 

 of thing the head lad is likely to order the boy to do 

 pretty often, to save himself the labour of persevering 

 with his craving horse. 



When these horses which I am supposed to have 

 just ordered to sweat, come to that part of the ground 

 from which horses are sometimes- ordered to come 

 home at a sweating pace, the head lad should order 



