SOOTHINGS, ANIMATIONS, &c. 



57 



in the performance of his paces. A good rider foresees 

 the necessity of an animation before the horse actually 

 abates his speed, or loses the ensemble of his action, 

 and the grace and spirit of his deportment. It is 

 much easier to keep up, than to restore, a horse's anima- 

 tion : therefore, the whip, the leg, the hand, or the 

 tongue, should do its office a few moments before, 

 rather than at, the moment when its movements are 

 indispensable. 



A slight motion of the fingers of the bridle-hand 

 serves as an excellent animation : it reminds the horse 

 of his duty, awakens the sensibility of his mouth, and 

 preserves a proper correspondence between that and 

 the hand. 



