x68 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



should work chiefly by demonstration, and explain 

 the meaning of his instructions as he goes along. It 

 is much easier to ride up to a man and show him 

 how to sit or how to handle the horse than merely to 

 tell him how to do so, and he will be far more likely 

 to remember it; he will also try twice as hard to 

 place himself correctly if he understands what he 

 is being asked to perform. 



The instructor should never shout; it affects the 

 horse adversely as well as the man, and he must al- 

 ways keep his temper. Shouting at a horse is a 

 sign of weakness in either a rider or a trainer of 

 young horses. 



The pupil should have well-fitting breeches, so 

 that he may not get rubbed or galled, and his boots 

 should be supple and smooth in the sole and have 

 a long, flat heel, for it has often happened that men 

 have been hung up in the stirrup because their boots 

 lacked these qualities. Rising to the trot is uncom- 

 fortable in thick boots if the ball of the foot is on 

 the iron. 



Let the beginner saddle and bridle his own mount ; 

 this is the most practical w^ay of teaching him how 

 the gear should fit. The bridle should be a single- 



