THE AIDS. 65 



mentioned, act in the same direction, and are valuable 

 adjuncts to the reins and legs ; I venture to include 

 them in a definition which is as suitable to them, as it is 

 to those whose recognition has obtained the sanction of 

 custom. 



As the riding-school term, ''aids," is not generally under- 

 stood by horsemen in this country ; I regret that I am forced 

 to employ it (modified as I have explained) from the 

 absence of any popular synonym. The stable expressions, 

 " mouth " and '' mouthing," are misleading ; for they wrongly 

 imply that the horse is to be controlled exclusively by his 

 mouth, that is to say, by only one end of his body, instead 

 of by both ends, as he ought to be, and as we shall see 

 further on. In deference to custom I shall, however, use 

 these expressions in the following pages ; but with the 

 understanding that '' mouth " signifies capability of answer- 

 ing the aids ; and '* mouthing," instruction in their 

 application. 



Respective actions of the aids. — The reins can be used 

 to bend the head and neck ; to restrain the forward action 

 of the horse by exerting pressure on the mouth in a 

 direction opposite to that in which he is proceeding or in 

 which he is placed ; to turn the head and neck to the 

 right or to the left ; to lower them ; to raise them ; or 

 to combine, when practicable, two or even three of these 

 actions, as is done when the head is drawn to one side and 

 lowered by the action of one rein, and when the movements 

 of the horse are checked at the same time by the pressure 

 of both reins. 



F 



