MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS 189 



thumb of the left hand is then put into the corner of 

 the horse's mouth above his nippers — this causes 

 him to open them at once ; the fingers then guide 

 the bits gently into his mouth, and at the same time 

 the right hand pulls the head-piece quietly over his 

 ears. All that remains to be done is to adjust the 

 bridle as shown in Fig. 2, Plate IV. 



It will be well to once more draw attention to the 

 importance of seeing that everything is right before 

 we start on a ride. It is also advisable to keep our 

 eyes open for anything wrong while we are out, and 

 we may be sure that there is some reason for any 

 unaccustomed signs of uneasiness on the horse's part ; 

 such as laying his ears back and keeping them so, 

 when he usually carries them forward, or a frequent 

 shaking of the head, or a twitching of the skin over 

 the withers. The first may mean that he is not well, 

 or that the saddle hurts him, and the two second may 

 also mean that his back is not comfortable. 



While thinking of the way that a horse expresses 

 his feelings, it would be well to say that, should a 

 horse who is usually a free, bold jumper, persistently 

 refuse, there is certain to be a reason which he 

 knows well, and of which we probably have no idea. 

 It may be a chalk-pit on the far side ; it may be that 

 he has been hurt, and feels that the task is beyond 

 him. Do not, therefore, force him, but after making 

 sure that it is not the fence that his instinct tells him 

 to refuse, jump off and have a good look round him. 



It is a common saying, that "the train is the best 

 of covert hacks." This may be so for the man who 



