HORSEMANSHIP. 327 



with a mouth like velvet, used to moderate and measure his 

 stride by the slightest impression of his rider's hand, used to 

 take off, when leaping, at a given place, or a given signal of bit 

 and heel, and tell him to ride across a stiff line of country, with 

 large fences and ugly water ditches, alongside of a pack of 

 fox-hounds — and see where he will be. 



Take Hiram Woodruff', and set him on the back of such a 

 managed horse as Franconi's "Bayard," with no snaffle and 

 martingale, by which -to steady himself in his seat, but a bit and 

 bridoon, the least touch of which will set the horse on end, piv- 

 oting on his fore or hind feet, and leaping six feet into the air 

 on all four legs, with diversifications of sobresaults, croupades, 

 balotades, and caprioles, executed with three or four motions of 

 the hind legs while in the air, and require of him, in addition, 

 to go through the lance or broad-sword exercise, with his right 

 arm, and see how long it will be before he be himself out of 

 his saddle, and, in all likelihood, before he have the horse on 

 his back at top of him. 



The breaking of the horse and the riding of the man de- 

 pend each on the other. 



The thoroughly broken horse must have no will, know no 

 pleasure^ but that of his rider, communicated to him by hand 

 andheel, by the influence of the bit on his mouth, and the 

 pressure of jhe .limb on his flank ; not as compulsory forces, 

 which enforce obedience by sheer strength, but as intimations 

 ofXwisTwhich he must obey, for fear of consequences, which 

 are found to follow disobedience. His mouth must be obedient 

 to^ e_very touch, regulating the position of the head, the flexure 

 of Jhe^neck, the. elevation or depression of the forehand, the 

 consecutive movement of the hind quarters — directing the 

 choice, tlie change, and the rate, or speed, of all his paces, and 

 caus ing j iim to advance, retrograde, move sideways, halt sud- 

 d^ly, or gradually, measure his strides, lengthening or short- 

 ening them as required, wheel round, rise at his leap, and, 

 above all, carry his nose gracefully and easily, and get his quar- 

 tei^ well under him, according to the impressions conveyed to 

 him by the hands, the limbs, and the will of his rider. 



. The thoroughly broken horse, if he be also ordinarily well 

 made, requires only the simplest trappings ; a plain, well-fitting 

 saddle, with two girths, neither breast plate nor crupper, a simple 



