300 POSITION OF HAND AND ARM CH. XIV 



off lead and the near wheel-reins between the first 

 and second fingers, the lead on top, and the off wheel 

 between the second and third fingers (Fig. 132). 



There is undoubtedly a disadvantage in having 

 one rein on top of the other between the first and 

 second fingers, but in what is called a full hand, see 

 Fig. 147, where one rein is in each space, the off 

 wheel-rein cannot be held strongly enough by the 

 little finger, and the method of holding the reins, 

 shown in Fig. 132, is that universally adopted in 

 England and sanctioned by the best practice. (See 

 the end of this Chapter for other Continental 

 methods.) The thumb should not be closed down 

 upon the lead-rein, because that tires the hand, and 

 because it should be always ready to receive the 

 loop of the lead-rein when making a point ; for the 

 same reason the fore-finger is kept a little distance 

 away from the second-finger. 



The reins are held, not by squeezing them on their 

 flat surfaces, but by the pressure of the third and 

 fourth fingers on their edges. If they are too wide 

 and too thick for the size of the hand, the two 

 middle reins will not touch the fingers, which will, 

 as it were, arch round them ; if they are of a proper 

 width the fino-ers will touch all the edofes and hold 

 them fast. This is an obvious reason for having 

 them all of the same width. With a light team, the 

 pressure of the reins upon each other, and their 

 friction against the glove are quite sufficient to 

 keep them in place with the hand easy and open. 



