WALKING. 235 



sways it from side to side at each step, which is taken 

 with extremely Httle fatigue to the limbs, and which 

 covers a comparatively long distance of ground. If, how- 

 ever, the rider by maintaining a tight hold of the reins, 

 keeps the horse's head up and prevents it from exercising 

 its natural function of a balancing pole, the horse will 

 step short and will be inclined to break into a trot, at 

 which pace the head is normally held in a raised and nearly 

 immovable position. Owing to a wrong system of breaking 

 and riding, the majority of our horses are bad walkers. I 

 must here make a distinction between the normal walk and 

 the collected walk, which artificial pace I shall describe 

 later on, as a preliminary exercise to the trot. 



We should, as we may see from the foregoing observa- 

 tions, teach the mounted horse to walk with the reins loose 

 enough not to interfere in any way with the movements 

 of his head and neck, and should lean the upper part of 

 the body slightly back so as to readjust the distribution of 

 weight between the fore and hind legs. 



The trot. — In the trot, as I have just said, the horse 

 should carry his head in a raised and nearly immovable 

 position, to attain which we should regulate the height of 

 our hands, and should keep a steady feeling on the reins. 



Turning a horse during movement. — Having taught 

 the horse to turn on his centre by means of the long reins, 

 on his forehand by the whip and reins on foot, and by 

 the aids when mounted, we may teach him to turn at the 

 walk and trot. 



