THE PONT, 



averts his eyes elsewhere. While advancing towards it, so 

 often as his fear breaks out, by instantly bringing him to a 

 stand-still, it should be appeased anew. 



" In slowly passing any object which a horse appears to be 

 afraid of, the error which is almost invariably committed is to 

 turn his head towards it, in which case, revolving upon his 

 bit as on a pivot, the animal turns his hind qnartera from it, 

 and' in that position with great ease shies more or less away 

 from it ; whereas, if the rein opposite to it be puUed firmly, he 

 not only instantly ascertains that his rider's desire is in opposi- 

 tion to it, instead of in favour of forcing him towards the object of 

 his fear, but when his head is drawn away from it, although 

 he is able to rush forwards, it is out of his power to shy 

 laterally." 



The same authority furnishes the equestrian world with a 

 few valuable hints as to what should be its conduct should it 

 by accident or design find itself " out of its depth " in a brook 

 or river : — " In riding into deep water, the animal just before he 

 floats appears to step ratlier un easily, as though on legs of 

 different lengths ; but the instant his feet take leave of the 

 ground, or if at once he plunges out of his depth from a bank, 

 as soon as his head comes up he proceeds as free from jolts of 

 any sort as a balloon in the air, grunting and groaning, never- 

 theless, heavily, at the injustice of having a man's weight 

 superadded to its own, the specific gravity of which but little 

 exceeds that of the element into which he is striving not to 

 sink. Instinctively, however, adjusting himself to the most 

 favourable position, which throws the hind part' of his body 

 about a foot under water, he makes the best of a bad bargain, 

 and then all the rider has to do is not to destroy the poor 

 animal's equilibrium by pulling even an ounce at the bridle. 

 Indeed, in crossing a broad stream the most effectual way to 

 prevent overbalancing him, and also to stop his grunting, is 

 either to slip sideways from his back, and then half swimming 

 to be dragged alongside by him by a lock of his mane firmly 

 entwined among the fingers of the right hand ; or, as invariably 

 practised by the Red Indians, to be towed by his tail, in which 

 case the man floatms; on the surface of the water is quite safe 

 from the heels of the horse struggling many feet below him. 

 By this plan the water instead of the horse sustains the 

 liuman weight. 



" Four-fifths of the art depends on attaining a just seat, and 

 one-fifth in possessing a pair of light hands. But, although 



