132 INSTRUCTIO^'S TO RIDING BOYS, 



in going along, should the pace they are going 

 be too fast for them. In speaking to his con- 

 fidential boys, he says, " If any one of yon find 

 that the horse you are riding, from not being 

 in very good condition, cannot keep his place 

 in the string, and should reach out his head 

 as he is going along, as if he wanted more 

 liberty of rein, it denotes he is tiring ; you 

 must instantly take a pull, and hold him to- 

 gether for a little way; never mind the other 

 horses passing you; let the horse you ride that 

 may be distressed come quietly on after them. 

 On the other hand, if you act otherwise than I 

 tell you, by persevering in the pace, your horse 

 will soon shew further symptoms of distress; he 

 will, to relieve himself, take a heavy sigh, and, 

 in his doing so, you will find he will spread 

 your knees out. You must mind, boys, never 

 to persevere with the pace of any horse you are 

 riding, either in his gallop or sweat, until he 

 becomes so distressed as to cause him to give 

 the sigh I have just mentioned; if it comes to 

 this with him, he will require a much longer 

 time to be held together to recover his wind, 

 than he would have done in the first instance, 

 when he stretched out his head. Therefore, 



