II 1 1) E. 



Would you make your horfe go backwards ? quit the 

 firft pofition ; let your wrift be quite round ; let your thumb 

 be in the place of the little finger in the fecond poiition, 

 and the little finger in that of the thumb ; turn your nails 

 quite upwards, and towards your face, and your knuckles 

 will be towards your horfe's neck. This is the third. 



Would you turn your horfe to the right ? leave the firft 

 pofition, carry your nails to the right, turning your hand 

 upfide down, in fuch a manner, that your thumb be carried 

 out to the left, and the little fingers brought in to the right. 

 This is the fourth pofition. 



Laftly, would you turn to the left ? quit again the firft 

 pofition ; carry the back of your hand a little to the left, fo 

 that the knuckles come under a little, that your thumb may 

 incline to the right, and the little finger to the left. This 

 makes the fifth pofition. 



Thefe different pofitions, however, alone are not tufficient ; 

 we mult be able to pafs from one to another with readinefs 

 and order. 



Three qualities are effentially r.ecellary to the hand. It 

 ought to be firm, "gentle, and light. We call that a firm or 

 iteady hand, whole feeling correfponds exadtly with the 

 feeling in the horfe's mouth, and which confifts in a cer- 

 tain degree of fteadinefs, constituting that juft cor- 

 refpondence between the hand and the horfe's mouth, which 

 every horfeman wifhes to find. 



An eafy or gentle hand is that which, by relaxing a little 

 of its ftrength and firmnefs, eafes and mitigates the degree 

 of feeling between the hand and horfe's mouth, which we 

 have already defcribed. 



Laltly, a light hand is that which lefTens ftill more the 

 feeling between the rider's hand and the horfe's mouth, which 

 was before moderated by the gentle hand. 



The hand, therefore, with refpedt to thefe properties, 

 mull operate in part, and within certain degrees, and de- 

 pends upon being more or lefs felt or yielded to the horle, 

 or withheld. 



It fhould be a rule witli every horfeman not to pafs, at 

 once, from one extreme to another, from a firm hand to a 

 flack one ; fo that in the motions of the hand you muft, upon 

 no account, jump over that degree of fenfation which con- 

 ftitutes the eafy or gentle hand. Were you at once to go 

 from a firm hand to a flack one, you would then entirely 

 abandon your horfe, you would furprifehim, deprive him of 

 the fupport he trufled to, and precipitate him on his 

 fhoulders, fuppofing you do this at an improper time. On 

 the contrary, were you to pafs from the flack to the tight 

 rein, all at once, you muft jerk your hand, and give a violent 

 (hock to the horfe's mouth ; which rough and irregular 

 motions would be ftifficient to fallify the firmeft appui, and 

 ruin a good mouth. 



It is indifpenfably necefTary, therefore, that all its 

 operations fhould be gentle and light ; and, in order to this, 

 it is neceiTarv that the v.rift alone fhould direct, and govern 

 all its motions, by turning and iteenng it, if we may fo fay, 

 through every motion that it is to make. 



In confequence, then, of thefe principles, we infifl that 

 the wrift be kept fo round that your knuckles may be always 

 directly above the horfe's neck, and that your thumb be 

 always kept flat upon the reins. . In reality, were your 

 wrift to be more or lefs rounded than in the degree we have 

 fixed, you could never work with your hand but by the 

 means of your arm ; and, befides, it would appear as if it 

 were lame ; again, were your thumb not to be upon the flat 

 of the reins, they would continually flip through the hand, 

 and by being lengthened, would fpoil the appui ; and, in 

 order to recover them, you would be obliged every moment 



to raife your hand and arm, which would throw you into 

 dilorder, and make you loie thatjuftnefs and order without 

 which no horfe will be obedient, and work with readinefs 

 and pleafure. 



Thofe motions, which are called defcents of the hand, are 

 made three different ways, either by dropping the knuckles 

 directly, and at once, upon the horfe's neck, or by taking 

 the reins in the right hand, about four fingers' breadth 

 above the left, and letting them flide through the left, 

 dropping your right hand at the fame time upon the horle's 

 neck, or elfe by putting the horfe under the button, as it is 

 called ; that is, by taking the end of the reins in your right 

 hand, quitting them entirely with your left hand, and letting 

 the end of them fall upon your horfe's neck. Thefe motions, 

 however, which give a prodigious grace to the horfeman, 

 never fhould be made but with great caution, and exattly 

 at the time when the horfe is quite together, and in the hand ; 

 and you mull take care in counterbalancing, by throwing 

 back your body, the weight of the horfe upon his haunches. 



The appui being always in the fame degree, would heat 

 the mouth, would dull the fenfe of feeling, would deaden the 

 horfe's bars, and render them infenfible and callous ; this 

 fhews the neceffity of continually yielding and drawing 

 back the hand, to keep the horfe's mouth frefh and awake. 

 See Appui. 



The effects produced by the feveral pofitions and motions 

 of the hand above defcribed, are as follow : the hand directs 

 the reins, the reins operate upon the branches of the bit ; 

 the branches upon the mouth-piece, and the curb ; the 

 mouth-pieces operate upon the bars, and the curb upon the 

 chin of the horfe. 



The right rein guides the horfe to the left, the left rein 

 to tlie right. Would you go to the right ? you pafs to 

 the fourth pofition of the hand, that is, you carry and turn 

 your nails to the right ; now, in carrying thus your nails to 

 the right, and reverting your hand in fuch a manner that 

 your thumb points to the left, and your little finger being 

 raifed turns to the right ; you, by this means, fhorten your 

 left rein ; it is this left, therefore, that turns and guides the 

 horfe to the right. Would you go to the left ? pafs to the 

 fifth pofition ; you will carry the back of your hand to the 

 left, fo that your nails will be turned downward a little, 

 your thumb will be to the right, the little finger to the 

 ieft ; this will fhorten the right rein ; the right rein, there- 

 fore, determines your horfe to the left. 



We have already faid, that the effeft which the mouth- 

 piece has upon the bars, and of the curb upon the chin, 

 depends upon the branches of the bitt ; when the brandies 

 rife, or are turned upwards, the mouth-piece finks ; and 

 when the branches fink, the mouth-piece rifes ; fo that 

 when your horfe is going ftraight forward, if you keep 

 your hand low, and clofe to your body, the mouth-piece 

 then preffes itronger upon the bars ; and the chain or curb 

 having, in confequence, more liberty, afts lefs upon the 

 beard. On the contrary, if you keep your hand high, a 

 little forward, and confequently a little out of the line of 

 the end of the branches, the mouth-piece then finks, and 

 the branches, of neceffity, operate upon the curb, which 

 preffes then very ftrongly upon the beard. Now, in order 

 to place, and bring in your horfe's head, you muft hold 

 your hand low ; and, in order to raife and lighten a horfe 

 that weighs upon the hand, and carries his head too low, 

 you mnil advance your hand a little, and keep it high. 



Would you have your horfe go back, come to the third 

 pofition ? but take care to round your wrift exactly, in order 

 to work equally with both your reins ; and by this means 

 aid your horfe more effectually to go back ftraight and ba- 

 lanced 



