144 Stopping and Backing. 



ward, or the hand relinquish its severity, he must 

 back till he fall : therefore, the instant the horse 

 yields to the hand, the body and hand yield to the 

 horse, that he may recover his balance. He 

 should then be gently invited or pressed to back 

 again. 



In reining back, the hand must preserve its cen- 

 trical situation, so that it may not compel the 

 croup to traverse off the line. If the hand is from 

 the centre to the left, the croup will traverse to 

 the right ; and if to the right, the croup will tra- 

 verse to the left. 



With the greatest exactness of the hand, how- 

 ever, some horses' croups will traverse, and re- 

 quire the particular attention of the heel or whip 

 to support and direct them on the line. The hand 

 and heel or whip are always to support and assist 

 each other. Thus : should the croup traverse to 

 the right, you must, of course, press with the whip ; 

 then to give assistance or co-operation, the hand 

 must be carried a little to the right ; but this must 

 be done with the greatest delicacy, lest you should 

 throw the croup too much to the left, and reverse 

 the disorder instead of correcting it. 



It is to be observed, that, in reining back, the 

 hand and the heel or whip change their functions ; 



