122 ORDINARY RIDING. 



instant I gently feel the off snafffe rein in a backward 

 direction, but not to one side, which would have the effect of 

 turning his head. The near hind foot, which is in the air, 

 places itself firmly down on the ground behind the off hind, 

 at the moment when the old snaffle rein makes the off 

 shoulder go back. I then close my right heel. At the instant 

 the horse obeys the indication I give him — namely, when 

 he raises his off hind, as if to take a step to one side — I 

 utilise this moment to give a backward pull on the near snaffle 

 rein, the off hind being of necessity placed in rear of the 

 near hind at the instant the near snaffle rein brings the left 

 shoulder back. 



Having obtained two steps of the rein back, I am content, 

 and I hasten to pat the horse on the neck to show him that 

 he has done well. 



When the horse has often done two steps, and then four, 

 he will be able to rein back easily. 



I do not use spurs at the beginning of the rein-back, so as 

 to avoid exciting the animal unless he is very sluggish and 

 does not answer readily to the legs. 



I have just shown the way to proceed at the beginning, 

 when teaching a horse to rein back. But we must not 

 conclude that we should always continue the same effects of 

 the legs separately. That would, in fact, make the horse 

 sway his body from right to left, which would be wrong, 

 because, when he reins back, he should always remain as 

 straight as he does when he goes forward. When the horse 

 understands the movement, and when he can easily take his 

 first step backwards, we should use both reins and both legs. 

 The rein-back will then be correct ; and if the haunches have 

 a tendency to deviate out of the straight line, we can easily 

 straighten them by pressing a little more strongly with the 

 leg of the side towards which the croup deviates, than with 

 the other leg. 



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