THE WALK. 19 



tend his walk. I do not know of anything so annoying- 

 as to see a horse creeping along, as if the poor animal 

 had corns and could not travel any faster, because the 

 horse's gait should be always active and decided. Now 

 often it is the fault of the rider, and not the horse at all. 

 If you will give the horse his head, and make use of the 

 leg and whip, he will do his best to walk out in the right 

 manner. You should be careful when riding to keep your 

 left hand firmly closed, in fact, make a fist of it, and 

 wear a loose-fitting glove, an extra size will be all the 

 better, and it will be well to dispense with rings when 

 riding. I remember an instance of a boy riding on a pony 

 down a steep hill at a walk on the hard road, and when 

 about half way down, the pony stumbled, fell, and broke 

 his knees ; if the lad had had his hands firmly closed, the 

 reins would not have slipped through his fingers, but in 

 all probability he could have pulled up the pony before 

 harm was done, but that is not all, for if you do not hold 

 the reins firmly, you will keep getting a longer rein than 

 you require, and if the hand is not closed it will necessi- 

 tate your shortening them very frequently. 



