126 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL 



sponded to at once ; and a horse may be so * highly 

 trained ' that no one but a rider of the firmest seat 

 and lightest hand can manage it. 



If the rider will hold the curb reins as I have 

 suggested in the left hand, divided by the little 

 finger, the hand in front of the body, the thumb 

 pointing towards the ears of the horse the indi- 

 cations of the reins may be given to a well-bitted 

 horse with precision and promptness. A direct ten- 

 sion upon the right rein is effected by turning the 

 hand so that the thumb points towards the rider's 

 right shoulder; an indirect token, which seconds 

 and enforces the same bend or turn of the head of 

 the horse, is made by carrying the hand to the 

 right. A direct tension upon the left rein is effected 

 by turning the wrist so that the thumb points to- 

 wards the ground over the left shoulder of the horse ; 

 an indirect token, which seconds and enforces the 

 same bend or turn of the head, is made by carrying 

 the reins to the left, until the right rein is pressed 

 against the right side of the horse's neck. 



We shall now turn our attention to the traverse 

 in the collected trot. When the horse is united in 

 the trot the animal bears its weight at each stride 

 upon a fore-leg and the hind-leg diagonally disposed ; 

 from these it springs into air and alights upon 

 the other pair of diagonally disposed legs. As the 



