MODERN RIDING. 73 



It is, nevertheless, true, that with horses 

 that are well dressed, one may take liberties. 

 Such are those motions which are called de- 

 scents of the hand. These are made three dif- 

 ferent ways, either by dropping the knuckles 

 directly and at once upon the horse's neck, 

 or by taking the reins in the right hand, about 

 four finger's breadth above the left, and let- 

 ting them slide through the left, dropping the 

 right hand at the same time upon the horse's 

 neck ; or else by taking the end of the reins 

 in the right hand, quitting them entirely with 

 the left hand, and letting the end of them fall 

 upon the horse's neck. These motions, how- 

 ever, which give a grace to the horseman, 

 never should be made but with great caution, 

 and exactly at the time when the horse is 

 quite together, and in the hand ; and the 

 rider must take care, by throwing back his 

 body, to counterbalance the weight of the 

 horse upon his haunches. 



Besides these rules, there are others not less 

 just and certain ; but the niceness of which 

 every rider is not able to understand. 



