76 HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 



as, for example, when he is refusmg, or when he 

 is shying or bucking. But there is another occa- 

 sion when grip is necessary. It is when he is 

 going faster than we mean him to, " pulUng," in 

 fact. Then is the occasion when " grip " is neces- 

 sar}^ Inexperienced horsemen merely hold on to 

 the reins and pull against him. In doing so the 

 inclination is to stick the feet out so as to get a 

 stronger leverage. Such a method of treating 

 pulling horses is, of course, entirely ^vrong. The 

 way to tackle this very common problem is to 

 grip. Get one's knees well pointed (^. e. the lower 

 part of the leg back), and hold him as tight as 

 possible. The faster he goes, the tighter must be 

 the grip. When a horse is held like this he will 

 never get out of hand. Keep a firm pressure on 

 the reins, and then when it is wanted to stop him, 

 it can be done. Here the control is maintained by 

 grip, and the more powerful the rider, the less 

 able even the most confirmed bolter will be to 

 get away. The expression ** out of hand " really 

 means " out of leg." That is the whole secret of 

 riding "keen" horses, but the knees must be 

 pointed and the hands kept low. 



Before leaving the subject of grip, I want to 

 say a word in favour of the short-legged men. It 

 is so generally supposed that long legs are best 

 for riding, that any other view may come as a 

 surprise. But, personally, I consider that the 

 strong, short-legged man has better command than 

 a man who has what is called a good riding leg. 

 Firstly, the strong little man has better control 



