CHAPTER V 

 THE AIDS 



THE best procedure for the beginner would, no 

 doubt, be to master all the details of seat, position, 

 and the manipulation of the reins, while the horse 

 is standing still. Few pupils, however, are at all 

 willing to undertake any such patient labor. 

 Young or adult, they want, not merely to walk, but 

 to trot, before they have any idea what is to be 

 done, either to direct or to control their mounts. 

 My own experience is, therefore, that it is really 

 better, on the whole, to let the beginner do, within 

 reason, a good deal as he likes. 



In the usual or lateral equitation, the rider 

 possesses two aids or means of controlling the 

 horse. These are the hands holding the reins and 

 the calves of the legs, or in the case of the rider on 

 a side-saddle, the left leg and the whip. 



The effects of the hands are three: 



By pulling straight back on the reins, the rider 

 signals the horse to diminish the speed of its 

 forward motion or to stop it completely. 



By raising the hand vertically, the rider lifts the 

 horse's head. The horse, in consequence, raises its 

 front hand, and therefore, its front legs. 



By drawing more strongly on either rein, the 



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