26 Introductory Chapter. 



There is another great difference between the condi- 

 tions under which the soldier and the civilian mount 

 their horses, the former being compelled to ride with 

 one hand, and have the other free to use his weapons ; 

 besides, his life frequently depends on a rapid change of 

 direction at various degrees of speed, and which he 

 must be able to effect without great effort. The way in 

 which the pack is j^laced on the saddle has much to do 

 with this, as will appear when we come to the subject 

 of " Bits and Bitting." All these matters shall be 

 treated in a separate chapter, and illustrated by figin-es. 



The second part of the work is devoted to " Bits and 

 Bitting." There is much more in this than most people 

 may be willing to believe. A ship with a damaged or 

 badly-constructed and ill-fitting rudder is not more 

 awkward and difficult to manage than a horse with a 

 bit that is not perfectly adapted to his mouth and his 

 whole frame, or which ha€ been ill placed. It will be 

 necessar}'- here to refer again to the horse's skeleton, 

 and point out the beautiful series of levers, and the 

 wonderful lever action, by means of which, in conjunc- 

 tion with the seat and legs of the rider, his will may 

 be conveyed from his little finger through the reins, bit, 

 head and neck of the horse, down to the very last joint 

 of its hind legs, in the, to the animal, most unmistak- 

 able and peremptory manner. 



Although bitting finds its place here after saddling, 

 this is not because of its being a secondary considera- 

 tion, but rather because no man can have a light hand, 

 or, in fact, use any bit properly, unless he have so 

 steady and close a seat as to put all suspicion of what 

 is technically termed " rein-riding" out of the question. 

 This self-same rein-riding — that is, the depending to 

 any extent on the reins for maintaining the seat — is but 

 too common, and a frequent cause of restiveness in 

 horses, and no end of disasters to riders. It must be 



