HOW TO SENDEE HORSES OBEDIENT. 275 



of tricks, that insubordinate horses try on and succeed 

 with, because they have never been brought to have a 

 proper leaning on the mouth-piece, of whatever kind that 

 may be. For instance, they will get " inside " the action 

 of the bridle altogether, so that the rider cannot keep 

 them straight, and they will then turn sharp round and 

 bolt off in another direction. When, therefore, one 

 finds a horse succeed in keeping permanently "behind 

 the hand," as it is called, the safest and surest way of 

 bringing it up well to the mouth-piece again is by a 

 few lessons on the lounge after this fashion, aided by 

 judicious demonstrations with the whip, and remember- 

 ing to use large circles. 



It will be unnecessary to go into the detail of the 

 first backing of the young horse, and of the precautions 

 that should be taken to avoid exciting its fear or anger ; 

 and we therefore go on to the method of handling under 

 the rider. The great object all English horse-breakers 

 have in view is, to bring their horses to go straight 

 ahead and cover as much ground as possible ; they 

 never think for a moment of making them handy, in the 

 military sense of the term that is to say, capable of 

 circling to the right or left in all their paces, changing 

 these and their feet without an apparent effort, &c. for 

 nothing of this is required of them. The methods they 

 employ are, it must be said, perfectly suited to the object 

 they propose to attain, the rider's weight being thrown 

 either directly or indirectly on the horse's forehand, 

 which, as has been shown in the first part of this work, 

 favours progression on straight lines. The saddle is 

 generally for this reason put well forward, the girths 

 coming round the anterior part of the chest. Now, 

 although the saddle is placed forwards, the stirrups being 



