48 EQUITATION AND HORSE TRAINING. 



displacement of the head as well as to prevent, as far as 

 possible, any bending of the neck; the head alone should 

 be turned to the right. The movement will be well exe- 

 cuted if the head, held high rather than low, remains ver- 

 tical; if the jaw is flexible, and if the displacement of the 

 head to the right or left does not pass outside of the verti- 

 cal planes parallel to the axis of the horse and passing 

 through the points of the shoulders. 



In these bending lessons, which are invariably practiced 

 while the animal is moving, the legs must be used to keep 

 up a steady gait and to prevent slowing up. 



Easing the hand on the snaffle. — ^Bending lessons should 

 always be followed by easing the hand, which is a rest for 

 the horse after a somewhat fatiguing exercise, and a relief 

 to the hind quarters; this exercise is also a means of 

 extending and lowering the head of the horse and of accus- 

 toming him to keep in touch with his bit. 



When the easing of the hand is well done, the horse, 

 after yielding the jaw, should extend his neck little by 

 little and answer to the bending lesson even after his head 

 is down. These bendings at the end of the reins give 

 most excellent results. 



The easing of the hand should be most carefully dis- 

 tinguished from the movement when the horse bores 

 savagely against the hand. This habit of boring or div- 

 ing is easily acquired if the rider releases his hand sud- 

 denly instead of keeping a constant tension on the reins 

 and gradually following the horse's head. 



