118 PRINCIPLES OF P. v. 



himself one time on one leg, and then on the 

 other. 



Care must be taken that this action of go- 

 ing backward be just ; and that in performing 

 it the horse keep his head steady, fixed, and 

 in a right place, that his body be trussed or 

 gathered up as it were under him, that he be 

 not upon his shoulders, but, on the contrary, 

 on his haunches, and that his feet be even. 



It is by an equal and steady feeling of both 

 reins of the bridle, that the horse is made 

 thus to step back; and to give greater effi- 

 cacy to this, the hand should be kept from 

 rising, the knuckles a little down, and the 

 belly drawn in. The body should no longer 

 be thrown back as in the stop, but rather 

 bend forward, which gives the hand greater 

 effect without provoking the horse to rear— a 

 circumstance that might occur with horses 

 which do not readily obey the hand, particu- 

 larly if you leaned back to give power to the 

 hand. If you attempt to compel the horse 



