The Barb and the Bridle

and Canter

his knees and hocks freely. This alone by no means conveys an adequate idea, however, of what is meant by bending a horse in the scientific

ake the horse supple in the neck and ribs, to give free action

ry portion of his frame, and especially in his ribs and intercostal muscles, as it is

man. But, although the "bending lesson" thoroughly carried out may be said to be the very gist of "haut école riding," even in its simple form, unaccompanied by the high

knowledge of the "bending lesson" will make her thoroughly acquainted with the reasons why a hor

ter to know what he is about). If a lady, therefore, will pay close attention to the instruction of her master, she will discover that her horse will obey her more readily, and move with more ease to himself and her, when she applies her aids "smoothly" (without which the bending lesson cannot be done), than by the application of sudden or violent indications of her will. For it must be borne in mind that a double bridl

s a very elegant exercise. To begin with the "shoulder in." Let us suppose a horse standing parallel to the boards at the side of the school. To place him in the desired position it is necessary to bring his forehand in, so that his fore and hind legs are placed upon two lines, parallel to each other and to the boards, and then to bend his head inwards at the poll of the neck. No more correct idea,

oulder in,' the horse's forehand is brought in by a double feeling of the inward rein,

se to cross his legs; the outward leg keeps him up to the hand and prevents him from swerving. The horse should be

, in a way similar to that of gymnastic or extension exercises in the human being. With young horses in training it is necessary to watch this lesson very carefully, and never to "ask too much" at one time, because any forcing of it would certainly result in restiveness; the strain, even with naturally supple horses, is considerable, and must not be persevered with one moment after it is

eps at a time, because, however au fait at his work the horse may be, th

de, when he should give the word, "Right shoulder in-march!" The lady then, firmly closing her left leg to keep the horse up to the hand, should keep her right hand

to move him off. The rider, while leading the horse off with the left rein, should keep up a continual, light easy play of the right rein, so as to preserve the bend inwards. The instructor should count "one, two," in very slow time, as the horse moves first his

and then on the curb alone, when she will find the nicest balance in her seat and the most careful and delicate manipulations of the reins necessary-joi

the school, and exactly reverse the aids by which she worked the "shoulder in"; that is, she should lead the horse off with the right or inward rein, well balancing and assisting its power by the outward one; with her leg she should press the horse until he places one foot before the

actice the "full passage," the difference between which and th

way he is going. The outward are crossing over the inward legs, and the inward rein leads. In the 'shoulder in' the

n the 'full passage' the horse crosses his legs. In the 'half pass

houlder in," though, I repeat, no horse would do the former up to the

lse movement is at once answered on the part of the horse by his taking advantage of it and putting himself in a wrong position, w

directions to indicate the precise moment at which each movement of hand and leg is to be made, any more than the man who writes the score in music can regulate the hand of the instrumental executant of it. There must be energy, patience, and close attention on the part of the pupil; vigilance, patience, temper, and thorough knowled

p or two back (well up to the bridle) is sufficient, when she should move forward, and the instructor should give her the aids for cantering; which (once more to quote the simple language of the "Aid Book") are as follows: "A light firm fe

tap of the whip on the off shoulder for the pressure of the inward leg of the man,

in order to understand and answer to the indications of his rider's will. If this has been properly carried out the lady will have no difficulty in striking her hors

right-in cantering to the former hand will go with the near fore, followed by the near hind, and be still "true an

uch instruction at once. Her position should be corrected before she is allowed to strike her horse off. Care should be taken that her arms are firm, and hands well back. The waist should be bent slightly forward, which will give it more suppleness. She should have a firm grip of the upper crutches, both heels well down, and at her first effort she should ride equally upon the snaffle and curb reins. To do this (assuming that she is riding with her bridle in military form), it is only necessary that she should draw up the slack of the near-side snaffle rein with h

sometimes happen with the best broken horse, from a little over-eagerness or anxiety on the part of the pupil, or a little unsteadiness of hand, the master should cause her to bring her horse again to the walk, an

ly well-broken) strikes off incorrectly; but I

horse should feel her hand fairly and firmly, and that there should be little "give-and-take" action of the latter. In cantering, on the other hand, an easy give-and-take play of the hands is indispensable, to cause the horse to bend in the poll of his neck, yield to the hand, and go in true form. By this time the pupil should have acquired sufficient firmness and aplomb in the saddle to justify the instructor in commencing to impart to her that mobile action and flexibility of the upper arm at the shoulder joint, which may be regarded as the artistic finishing of her course of equitation. But it will not do to commence this (so goes my experience) at the outset of the cant

ake the air on. At the same time it is asking a good deal from the pupil in her early cantering lessons to keep her horse up to his work, and to maintain her own position correctly; and if she exhibits a little stiffness or formality (if I may use the expression) at first, it may fairly be passed over until increased confidence permits the master to give his attention to what I may perhaps call the "unbending" of his pupil. After a few days' cantering as above described, the lady may begin to collect her horse; and by this time also she should be fitted with a spur, of which the

s for ladies is, that they are apt to do all sorts of mischief in the event of the lady being thrown from her horse. Now, the latter is a contingency which (except in the hunting field) I do not admit as possible, if the

han one such accident-I have never found that the lady got hurt by the spur when she wore the sort I allude to; and again, I think it is only just to that clever loriner, Mr. Latchford, to say that he has invented a lady's stirrup which renders danger from it in the event of a fall next to impossible-certainly she cannot be dragged by it. In this stirrup there is no opening at the side by means of springs or complicated machinery of any sort. It requires neither diagram or drawing to describe it, because it is the perfection of mechanism-extreme simplicity. One has only to imagine an ordinary stirrup, rather elongat

"wake him up." Too much whip is a bad thing. In riding in the country a lady must perforce have to open a bridle gate sometimes for herself, and if she is always using a whip to liven her horse up, she will fi