198 BREAKING ON FOOT. 



quarters round, when the rein is on the pad, a light touch 

 or two with the whip below the hocks, so as to prevent him 

 fixing his hind legs on the ground as a " defence," will 

 soon teach him to come round quickly. If he be found to 

 be " harder " on one side of the mouth than on the other, 

 he should be turned more sharply to the former than to the 

 latter, until he turns equally well to both sides. I advise 

 hitting the horse, when using the lunging whip, below the 

 hocks ; for he is less liable to show the marks of the lash 

 on that part of his legs, than above the hocks, where the 

 bones are covered with muscle. Besides, I am inclined to 

 think that a cut below the hocks is more likely to prompt a 

 horse to go on, and is less apt to make him kick, than 

 one above them. 



I may point out that the circling with the long reins on 

 foot, should be performed on the same principle as that 

 adopted by a capable rider, the pressure of whose drawn- 

 back outward foot is replaced by that of the outward rein. 

 I may remark, in passing, that practice in driving on foot is 

 an admirable means for improving one's " hands ; " whether 

 for riding or driving. 



In the first lesson — which should not exceed twenty 

 minutes in length, so as not to make the animal's mouth 

 tender — the horse should have learned to move off at the 

 walk on being *' shown " the whip or '* clicked " to ; to 

 readily turn to the right, left, right-about or left-about, 

 on receiving the proper indication of the rein ; and to halt. 

 This will be enough under ordinary circumstances ; although 

 on an emergency this modest limit of instruction may be 

 greatly exceeded. 



