HOW TO EENDEB HORSES OBEDIENT. 285 



angle, on which hand is immaterial : his English confrere 

 holds his hands close together steadily down on the 

 horse's withers, just letting the animal come up to meet 

 the mouth-piece ; the school-rider, on the contrary, 

 raises his hands more or less according to the natural 

 position of the horse's head and neck, his object being, 

 as we have seen, to bring their weight back towards the 

 hind legs, which latter the pressure of his own legs 

 tends to bring forward. Moreover, instead of holding 

 his hands merely passive, he takes a rein in each hand, 

 and with a gradual but decisive turn of the wrist meets 

 each stride of the hind leg with a gentle pull on the 

 rein at the corresponding side, working upwards and 

 backwards. Thus, whilst the pressure of the man's leg 

 brings the hind leg of the remount forwards, the pressure 

 of his wrist, exercised through the rein, determines 

 exactly to what extent this shall take place, and, in fact, 

 prescribes the point at which the foot shall be placed on 

 the ground. This is what is called floating or oscillating 

 between the rider's hand and leg ; it is what gives 

 perfect control over the horse's movements, and explains 

 why the terms "mere rein," or "mere stirrup" riding, 

 are used in a satirical sense. A little attention will 

 soon teach even a beginner which hind foot is being 

 brought forward, and consequently with which rein he 

 will have to regulate its action ; for it will never answer 

 the purpose to pull across, as that would only derange 

 the position of the neck and head ; and this " feeling in 

 the seat," as it is called, is a sense that riders must 

 cultivate, as it will enable them to find out immediately 

 what their horse is about, and whether he be meditating 

 mischief, which, if his leg be in the right place, he can 

 nip in the bud ; whereas, if it be somewhere away 



