How to Render Horses Obedient, 217 



strides of the inner legs perceptibly, and the shorter 

 the radius of the circle the more perceptible is this 

 difference. When the rider is therefore about passing 

 through a corner, he will come to the young horse's aid 

 by urging forward the inner leg somewhat less than the 

 outer one ; at the same time he must bend the horse's 

 neck and head in the proposed direction, and therefore 

 he holds his inner hand somewhat lower than the outer 

 one, makes his own leg at the same side more perpen- 

 dicular, the outer one being brought well back to sus- 

 tain the action on that side. Now the result of all this 

 is, that the inner hind leg is made to bear a somewhat 

 increased proportion of the whole weight during the 

 passage of the corners as compared with the straight 

 line ; and, thus by changing from one hand to the other, 

 the young horse learns to bend his hocks in succession, 

 and in an easy and gradual manner. After passing 

 through the corner and getting on again to a straight 

 line, the action of the rider's legs is again equalized, 

 but his hands always remain in the position described, 

 as the horse's head must be kept slightly away from 

 the wall or barrier. 



This process is graduated thus : first, round off the 

 angles in a wide sweep, then gradually narrower ; sec- 

 ondly, halve and then quarter the manege, by which 

 means the angles will come more frequently into play; 

 finally, convert your smallest rectangle into a circle and 

 wind up by diminishing its diameter, changing, of 

 course, from one hand to the other, in order to work 

 both hind legs equally. 



There are two distinct means employed here : first, 

 the getting the horse's head and neck up and back — to 

 use a nautical expression again, more inboard ; second- 

 ly, to accustom the horse to bend its hocks and haunches 

 so as to take over a portion of the v>'eight. Unless 

 gi-eatly pressed for time, it is better not to commence 

 19 



