S9# '.-vC^-W't' JNIVEBSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNI DIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNI, /7t> ^^f^R^ =' stZr^T?^ (5^^f& xs^Tsg; 9|-e &Wb ^^ r JNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNI ^0 RSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RSITY Of CALIFORNIA 7ft) LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 6 1 RSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MODERN HORSEMANSHIP M odern H orsemanship A NEW METHOD OF TEACHING Riding and Training BY MEANS OF Pictures from the Life BY EDWARD L. ANDERSON AUTHOR OF 'A SYSTEM OF SCHOOL TRAINING FOR HORSES,' 'THE GALLOP,' ETC. NEW AND REVISED EDITION Containing some Original Observations upon the Mode of Changing Lead in the Gallop EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS MDCCCLXXXVI A II Rights reserved. THIS WORK IS DEDICATED TO THOMAS GIBSON BOWLES BY HIS FRIEND THE AUTHOR CONTENTS. PART I. RIDING. CHAP. PAGE I. INTRODUCTORY, i II. TO MOUNT, . . 4 III. THE SEAT, . . -9 IV. THE SNAFFLE BRIDLE, . n V. THE DOUBLE BRIDLE, . 17 VI. HANDS AND LEGS, .... 21 The Walk The Trot The Gallop. VII. LEAPING, . . '. 3i VIII. DIFFICULT HORSES, . . . -37 a'2 Vlll CONTENTS. PART II. TRAINING. CHAP. PAGE I. THE RESULTS OF TRAINING, ... 53 II. DISCIPLINE AND EXERCISE, . 60 III. SUPPLING AND COLLECTING, . . 65 IV. IN THE SNAFFLE BIT, .. . . . 68 V. IN THE SNAFFLE BIT Continued, . . . 73 VI. RIDING IN THE SNAFFLE, . , . . 79 The Walk The Trot. VII. RIDING IN THE SNAFFLE Continued, . 85 The Head and Croup to the Wall Shoulder-in The Gallop. VIII. THE SPUR, . . . . 92 IX. THE DOUBLE-REINED BRIDLE, . -95 Flexions of the Jaw and Neck The Height of the Head. X.-COLLECTING, . . . ' . -. -99 In Hand (in place and in action) The Union (in action) The Poise (Equilibrium: The Halt). CONTENTS. IX CHAl'. PAGE XI. ON THE UNION, . . 107 The Walk The Trot To back. XII. LOW PIROUETTES TRAVERSING AT THE WALK DEMI-VOLTES, . . . 116 XIII. INDICATIONS OF CURB BIT TRAVERSING AT THE UNITED TROT REVERSED PIR- OUETTES, . . ... 124 XIV. THE GALLOP, 130 Changes of Lead Demi-voltes Pirouettes. XV. DESCENT OF THE HAND, ... I3 8 Union without Support. XVI. LEAPING, . . HO XVII. -THE HIGH SCHOOL, . H3 XVIII. THE PACES OF THE HORSE, 158 The Walk The Trot The Gallop. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. DIAGRAMS. PAGE HORSE, SHOWING THE PARTS, . . . . . 3 THE SADDLE, . . , . . . . . 6 THE BIT, THE CAVESSON, AND THE BRIDLE, . . 19 THE BRIDLE HAND, . . ; . . 22 SHIFTING THE REINS, ..... 23 TRAVERSING, ETC., . . . . . . 87 INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS. FIG. i. MOUNTING, FIRST POSITION, . . . facing page i 2. MOUNTING, SECOND POSITION, . i 3. MOUNTING, THIRD POSITION, . 5 4. THE SEAT, . . . 5 xii INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS. FIG. 5. MOUNTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS, . facing page 9 6. MOUNTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS, . . 9 7. ELEVATION OF HEAD, BY SNAFFLE REINS, 71 8. POSITION OF HEAD, BY SNAFFLE REINS, . 71 9. BENDING HEAD AND SUPPLING NECK, . 72 10. BENDING HEAD AT THE WALK, . . 72 11. BRINGING HIND-LEGS UNDER THE BODY,. 73 12. TRANSFERRING THE POWER OF THE WHIP TO THE HEELS, . , ,- . 73 13. REVERSED PIROUETTE, ON FOOT, . .. . 77 14. REVERSED PIROUETTE, MOUNTED, . . 77 15. SUPPLING THE JAW, . . . .96 16. POSITION OF THE HEAD, . . . 96 17. IN HAND, . . . . ,,ioi 18. POISE, IN PLACE, . . . . 101 191 POISE, FROM THE TROT, . . 105 20. BACKING, . . . . . .105 21. SHOULDER-IN, . . . . 116 22. TRAVERSING, . 116 INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS. Xlll FIG. 23. LOW PIROUETTE, . facing page 118 24. DEMI-VOLTE IN GALLOP,. . .118 25. TAKING THE GALLOP FROM THE POISE IN THE TROT, . 131 26. THE POSE, . . . 131 27. SPANISH TROT, . 145 28. PIAFFER, . . . , -145 NOTE. The Instantaneous Photographs in the Volume were made by MR. ALEXANDER NICOL, Edinburgh, and printed from his negatives by the Autotype Company, London. January 14, 1884. FIG. 1. MOUNTING. FIRST POSITION. 2. MOUNTING, SECOND POSITION. MODERN HORSEMANSHIP. PART I. RIDING. CHAPTER /. INTRODUCTORY. FOR our purposes, we shall consider as the Fore- hand of the horse all that part which is in front of the saddle ; that is, the head, the neck, the shoulders, and the fore-legs. The Hind-quarters will be under- stood to embrace the croup, the haunches, and the hind-legs. In the Middle-piece are the back, the belly, and the sides. The object of the rider will be to acquire a firm and easy seat, from which he can control the move- ments of the horse by means of the reins and his heels. For it is not by the reins alone that the rider can demand obedience from the horse ; the animal must be taught to answer the application of the heels before it can be placed in the positions from which it is able to give prompt obedience to 2 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL the rider. The reins will act to direct the forehand and to restrain the horse, the heels will incite action and govern the movements of the hind-quarters. The hand and heels, acting together, will collect the forces of both extremities, so that they may be under the immediate control of the rider. To have the horse light, easy, and obedient, the forehand and the hind-quarters must work in unison ; then the effects of the bit will be felt by the mass, and the action of the heels will influence all the parts. But if the horse be not collected, the forehand would turn at the indication of the bit, while the hind- quarters would follow the original direction, until they were forcibly dragged after the forehand ; or, in answer to the heels, the hind-quarters might be thrust upon the unprepared forehand, and make that part heavy and constrained in action. Of course at liberty the horse requires neither reins nor heels to direct and control its motions, but when it is mounted, and its impulses are checked and thwarted, the animal obeys those indications of the rider that it understands ; so when the forehand is pulled in a certain direction, and the hind-quarters receive no orders, the latter part will not conform its movements to those of the disconnected fore- hand in a manner that will give light and easy action. Each extremity of the horse must be pre- RIDING AND TRAINING. 3 pared, by the aid that governs it, for every move- ment of the other ; and the forces of the forehand and of the hind- quarters must be so collected that they will act together. These are the general principles of horsemanship, and they must be understood and practised before the rider can expect to manage his horse. In the Second Part of this work the subject of collecting will be explained in all its details ; for the present the reader will be called upon to acquire those rules only that are necessary for riding a horse broken in the usual manner. A. Forehand. B. Middle-piece. C. Hind-quarter, i. Head. 2. Neck. 3- Shoulder. 4. Fore-legs. 5. Back. 6. Side. 7- Croup. 8. Haunch. 9. Hind-legs. ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL CHAPTER IL TO MOUNT. THE usual method of mounting is for the rider to stand with his left side opposite the near (or left) shoulder of the horse : with the left hand, in which the whip and reins are held, he seizes a lock of the mane ; raising the left leg, he inserts the foot in the stirrup by the aid of the right hand ; leaving the ground by a spring from the right foot, assisted by the hold of the mane in the left hand, he rises until the left leg is straightened, having seized the cantel of the saddle with the right hand to steady him- self ; withdrawing the right hand he passes the right leg over the back of the horse, and sinks into the seat. To my mind there are many objections to this mode of mounting, the principal being, that the left hand, entangled in the mane, cannot use the rein for the purpose of checking the horse ; that the rider, standing at the shoulder of the horse, may be over- turned by a movement of the animal, and perhaps be dragged by the stirrup, or be thrown under the FIG. 3. MOUNTING, THIRD POSITION. 4. THE SEAT. RIDING AND TRAINING. 5 iron-shod feet ; that the pull upon the cantel may turn the saddle; and that the right arm is taken away, to permit the right leg being passed over the back of the horse, at the moment its support is greatly needed. For those who mount with the stirrup I suggest the following method, which is free from all of these dangers. 1 Let the rider stand opposite the girth, facing the near side of the horse : holding the reins in his right hand, he should with that hand take a grasp of the saddle on the pommel or just back of it ; then let him insert the left foot in the stirrup and take a lock of the mane in the left hand ; aided by the grasps upon the saddle and the mane he should rise from the right foot and take his weight upon the left leg straightened in the stirrup, then carry the right leg over the back of the horse, and sink into the seat. By following this mode the horse may be readily checked by removing the right hand from the saddle ; the left foot will come out of the stirrup if the horse moves forward before the rider has left the ground from his right foot ; the support from the right arm does not require to be withdrawn to pass the right leg over the back of the horse, and there is no danger of pulling the saddle from its place, as the rider may 1 See the three figures of Mounting with Stirrups. 6 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL mount in this way without girths. To dismount, by the method I recommend, the rider will take the right foot out of its stirrup, seize the mane and pommel as in mounting, take a bearing upon the THE SADDLE. i. The Pommel. 2. The Cantel. 3. The Flap. 4. The Skirt. 5. The Pannel. 6. The Stirrup. 7. The Stirrup-Leather. left stirrup, carry the right leg over the back of the horse, and, supported by the hands, gradually let himself down until the right foot is planted upon the RIDING AND TRAINING. 7 ground, when the left foot will be withdrawn from the stirrup, and, after he is assured of his footing, the holds upon the mane and pommel released. But a rider of ordinary strength and agility should not require the stirrup in mounting or dismounting. To mount without stirrups 1 the rider should stand facing the near shoulder of the horse : with the left hand he will seize a lock of the mane, half way between the withers and the ears; and with the right hand, in which are held the reins, he will grasp the pommel, the thumb under the bow, the fingers extended toward the ground on the far side ; springing from both feet he will take his weight upon the straightened arms, and from this position he will carry his right leg over the back of the horse, and sink gently into the saddle. When the seat is secured, the holds upon mane and pommel will be released. In this manner he may mount the most restless animal, for after he has taken the grasp upon the mane and the pommel the horse cannot prevent him reaching the saddle ; and it is easier to mount the horse, by taking advantage of its motions, when in action than from a halt. In mounting the moving horse in this manner, the rider should be careful not to spring with too much vigour or to throw his body too much over the horse, as the 1 See the two figures of Mounting without Stirrups. 8 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL movement of the animal aids him in rising, and the more rapidly it goes the less of a spring will be required. To dismount without stirrups, the rider will take the holds upon the mane and the pommel, as in mounting; then, leaning forward, he will take his weight upon his arms, throw the right leg over the back of the horse, and gently let himself down to the ground, releasing the holds upon mane and pommel when he is assured of his footing. To dismount from the moving horse, he will reach the ground prepared to take a few steps in the direction the horse is going, just as he would leave a tram- car in motion. In dismounting without stirrups, it is necessary to keep the reins in the right hand, so that there may be no danger of being thrown under the feet of the horse in the eftort to stop him, as might happen should the reins be held in the left hand. The rider should practise mounting and dis- mounting upon the right or off side of the horse, as well as upon the usual side. Some men who have been accustomed to ride for years would find it difficult to mount upon the off side should occasion require it. FIG. B. MOUNTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS. 6. MOUNTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS. RIDING AND TRAINING. CHAPTER III. THE SEAT. l THE security of the rider's seat depends upon the perpendicular application of his weight, the grasp of his thighs, and the friction of the parts touching the saddle. He must therefore have a seat that will permit him to bend the upper part of the body with the motions of the horse, that will permit him to have the best use of the muscles of the thighs, and that will give him as many points of contact with the saddle as these other conditions make possible. A man can have but one seat for all kinds of riding, for any change from that which is above described must be for the worse. To obtain his seat, the rider will, upon reaching the saddle, take his weight upon his buttocks, keep the body erect, the loins slightly hollowed, the shoulders back, and the chin drawn in ; with the inner or flat surfaces of the thighs, he will take every point of contact possible from the knees up, with such a result that about one-third of his weight will be taken by those parts, the remainder being 1 See Figure 4. 10 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL supported by the buttocks. The upper part of the body must be held without stiffness, and should be ready to bend in any direction upon the hips ; but the grasp of the thighs is not to be disturbed, and from the hips to the knees there should be no motion or changes. The lower part of the legs, from the knees down, should fall naturally, and should be completely under the control of the rider, in order that the indications of the calf and heel may be given with precision. From this seat the rider should practise bending the body forward, to either side and backward, with- out disturbing the grasp of the thighs or moving the feet. Then, with the body erect, he should, keeping the thighs close to the saddle, exercise the lower parts of the legs, until he finds that he can use them without interfering with the seat or dis- turbing the carriage of the body. The stirrups must be adapted to the seat, not the seat to the stirrups. The right length of the stirrup-leathers will be found when the toes, placed in the irons no farther than the balls of the feet, are slightly higher than the heels. The object in elevating the toes is not to make rigid the muscles of the legs, but to permit the calves of the legs to be applied to the sides of the horse without giving unintentional scratches with the spur. RIDING AND TRAINING. I I CHAPTER IV. THE SNAFFLE BRIDLE. BEFORE one can excel in horsemanship he must become ambidextrous he must learn to use each hand with precision, force, and effect; otherwise both he and his horse will be but half-trained, and the movements to one side will be made with less clearness than those to the other side. The beginner should be mounted upon a quiet horse that is light in the mouth, and he should use a simple snaffle bridle. He should hold a rein in each hand, the little finger towards the head of the horse, the thumbs held near together above the pommel, the nails towards the ground. The elbows should be close to the body, for if they are thrust out the rider cannot have that delicate touch upon the mouth of the horse that is so necessary. The hands will be held high or low as the horse holds his head low or high, and the first thing the rider should discover for himself is the height at which his hands should be held to insure his horse moving properly. 12 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL If the horse throws up its head, and is awkward in movement, the rider may be assured that he is holding the reins too high. If the horse lowers the head, and leans upon the hand, the reins should be elevated, and the legs closed against the sides of the horse, so that the hind-legs will be carried under the mass and relieve the forehand. The tension upon both reins should be even, and only strong enough to keep the rider in communica- tion with the mouth of the horse. To put the horse into a walk, the rider will close in his legs and take a light feeling of both reins, then he will press the calves of his legs against the sides of the horse and at the same time yield the hands sufficiently to let the horse advance at a walk. When the horse moves, the reins will be drawn until the mouth can be felt, and the rider will keep his legs near the sides, to prevent, by their pressure, when necessary, the animal coming to a halt. Before a change of direction is made, the horse must be prepared for it by the rider collecting the forces of the animal between his hand and heels ; the latter first acting to bring up the hind-quarters, the hand meeting the impulse given by the heels, so that, while the rate of speed is not affected, the extremities of the horse are ready to work in unison. These applications of the aids are to be RIDING AND TRAINING. 13 made gently, and it will be by practice only that the rider will be able to employ them properly. To turn the horse to the right, the rider will draw the right rein towards his body, and measure its effects by the left rein, so that the turn will not be too short, and that he may keep full control of the movement; after the forehand answers to the bit, the rider's legs will be closed, the left rather more strongly than the right, so that the hind- quarters will follow the forehand, and not be thrown too much to the left. The turn to the left will be effected by the opposite aids in a similar manner. To bring the horse to a halt, the rider will gently close in both legs, and increase the tension upon the reins, releasing first the pressure of the legs and then the tension of the hands, when the horse has come to a stop. Before the beginner* undertakes to ride the horse in a pace fa-ster than a walk he should be perfectly assured in his management of the reins, and should in the manner above described move the horse in circles and in figures of eight, changing the aids, in the latter exercise, at the points where the changes of direction take place. During the lessons in the walk, the rider should take pains to confirm himself in the proper seat. 14 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL The body should be erect, but easy, and while it is not necessary or desirable that a very firm grasp of the thighs should be maintained, they should be held in the proper position, with the flat parts against the saddle, and the points of the knees turned towards the horse. The feet should bear enough weight in the stirrups only to hold them in place, and if the seat is right the feet will be found parallel to the sides of the horse. In turning to either side, whether at the walk, the trot, or the gallop, the shoulder of that side will be retired, more or less depending upon the speed and the angle of the turn ; and in all circles the inner shoulder should be retired and the body inclined towards the centre, depending in extent upon the speed with which the movement is executed and the diameter of the circle. In turning to either side the rider should avoid the fault, that is common with most begin- ners, of releasing the pressure of the outside knee ; and he should also guard himself against leaning forward at any sudden and unexpected movement of the horse. As a rule, the rider should lean for- ward if the forehand rises, and should lean back when the croup rises. So, when a horse rears, the rider should lean forward, but the body should be carried back when the horse kicks or stumbles. If these instructions are borne in mind, the rider will RIDING AND TRAINING. 15 in time bend the body with the motions of the horse without being aware of any mental effort, and it is only by such practice that one becomes a skilled rider. I do not mean, by what I have written above, that the rider should keep his body swinging like a metronome. It is only when the motion of the horse is vigorous enough to demand a corre- sponding motion on the part of the rider, to keep his equilibrium, that the body should be moved ; but the rider must be ready at any moment to make the bend of the body, and it is only practice and presence of mind that will bring this faculty to an instinct. To put the horse into the trot, the rider should first demand the walk. Then he will close his legs against the sides of the horse, and take a light ten- sion upon the reins, in such a manner as not to quicken or retard the pace. This application of the aids will serve to collect the horse, and when this has been effected, as will be perceived by the more vigorous action with which the walk is performed, the horse will be urged to greater exertion by an increased pressure of the legs or by a tap of the whip behind the girths, and the hands will give sufficient freedom for the animal to move forward in the trot. The rider will endeavour to keep the pace even 1 6 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL and regular, and will avoid all violence in the ap- plication of the aids. His aim should be to see with what light touches upon the reins he can control the horse. The more perfectly ' the union ' between the forehand and the croup is maintained by the combined action of the hand and heels, the lighter, easier, and more graceful will be the pace. In the trot, the horse should be ridden in circles and in figures of eight, by the same application of the aids as in the walk. Before a change of direc- tion is made, the horse should be collected between the heels and hands, but without retarding or ac- celerating the pace. To bring the horse to a halt from the trot, the rider will first collect the forces ; then, by a continued pressure of the heels, followed by an in- ward tension upon the reins, he will bring the horse to a walk ; by the same means it should then be brought to a stop, when the hands will release the tension upon the reins, and the legs be withdrawn from the sides. During the lessons in the walk and in the trot, the rider should endeavour to obtain a seat that is quite independent of any support from the reins, and until he has accomplished this he should not make use of the double bridle. RIDING AND TRAINING. I 7 CHAPTER V.THE DOUBLE BRIDLE. IN the double bridle we have the curb bit and the snaffle. It is with the first of these that the horse should be habitually ridden, as it acts upon the lower jaw of the horse, and gives the rider greater control over the animal. The snaffle is merely an aid to the curb bit, and should be placed well up in the corners of the mouth. The curb bit should be arranged so that it will take a bearing upon the bare bars of the mouth, say half an inch above the tusks of a horse, or one inch above the corner teeth of a mare. The mouth-piece should have a liberty for the tongue, so that the bit may take effect upon the bars of the mouth. The size of this liberty, or port as it is called, should depend upon the size of the tongue of the horse. If the horse have a thick tongue the port will be made correspondingly high ; if the tongue be small, the port should be decreased, but the mouth-piece should not vary greatly from the pattern known as the 'Melton.' If the horse have a clean head, the mouth-piece should be wide enough only to give J 8 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL the branches free play ; but if the lips be thick, as is often the case in coarse-bred animals, the mouth- piece should be roomy, or the branches will pinch the lips against the curb chain. The curb bit is designed to act as a lever of the second class. The curb chain, passing from the upper-arms under the chin, gives to the upper ends of the bit a fulcrum ; the power is applied through the reins to the lower branches of the bit, and the weight or effect is felt upon the bars of the horse's jaw. With loosely fitting bearings upon the yielding head of a horse, it is impossible to secure all the power of the lever, or to accurately give the pro- portions. Generally speaking, the upper-arms of the bit, from the centre of the mouth-piece to the point where the curb chain takes its bearing, should be from one and three-quarters to one and seven- eighths inches, depending upon the depth of the jaw. The branches should be long or short, as the rider wishes a mild or a severe bit. If the bit be too mild in its effects, the rider runs the risk of encouraging the animal to bear upon the hand. But, except with a skilled horseman, it is dangerous to have a severe bit upon a light-mouthed horse that is high in the forehand. If the branches be no longer than the upper-arms, the power applied to the mouth of the horse cannot be greater than RIDING AND TRAINING. THE BIT. 1. Upper arm of curb bit. 2. Branches of curb bit 3. Port. 4. Ctfrb chain hook. THE CAVESSON. 1. The ring for the longe-line. 2. The side-lines. THE BRIDLE. 1. The curb bit. 2. Curb chain. 3 Lip strap. 4. Curb rein. 5. Snaffle rein. 6. Snaffle bit. 7. Throat lash. 2O ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL the pull upon the reins, and the only advantage such a bit has over a snaffle is that the power will always be applied in the right place. As the branches are lengthened, the power of the bit is increased. But as it should be the intention of the rider to teach the horse to yield to the slightest touches of the hand, he should not depend too much upon the power of his bit. If the branches are four and a half inches long, the bit will be powerful enough to teach the horse to yield the jaw, and yet be not too severe for ordinary riding. But every horse should be ridden in the bit that best suits it, and nothing but trials will show what that bit may be. The curb chain should lie in the groove under the jaw of the horse, fitting closely, but not so as to pinch the horse before the reins are drawn. The curb chain should not be loosened or tightened to give a mild or a severe effect to the bit : but the branches should be altered to meet the case. No double bit will supply the place of the curb and snaffle bits ; and no martingales should be used, as they prohibit a light hand, and interfere with the action of the bits. RIDING AND TRAINING. 2 I CHAPTER VL HANDS AND LEGS. THE WALK THE TROT THE GALLOP. IN riding with the double bridle, the reins should be carried in one hand, and the other hand will assist. By custom, derived from military horseman- ship, the left is the bridle hand, but the rider must be able to use the right with equal skill. There are various ways prescribed for holding the reins, but I prefer the following. In the left hand : the little finger dividing the curb reins (the left rein under- most), the middle finger dividing the snaffle reins (the left rein undermost), both sets carried up through the hand, clasped by the thumb against the fore-finger, and the loose ends falling over the knuckles. The hand should be held directly in front of the body, the little finger towards the ground, the thumb pointing between the ears of the horse. The right hand should be carried upon the loose ends of the reins, ready to give assistance to the bridle hand. To shift the reins into the right hand, it will be 22 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL placed in front of the left, the little finger will clasp the right curb rein, the third finger will clasp the left curb rein, the middle finger will clasp the right snaffle rein, the fore-finger will clasp the left snaffle rein ; the left hand will then pass the reins into the right, the thumb of which will secure them against the fore-finger, and the reins will be held in the right The Bridle Hand. hand in exactly the same manner as they were held by the left. (See Cut of Shifting the Reins.) If the change of reins from the left hand to the right be but for a short time, they may be shifted in the following manner. Turn the left hand so that the finger nails are towards the ground : then pass the right hand in front of the left, and drop the RIDING AND TRAINING. 23 fingers of the right hand through the reins so that the first finger divides the curb reins, the third finger divides the snaffle reins. This is a very rapid method, but it will be seen that the position of the fingers with regard to the reins are changed, and the hand has not nearly so much power. To transfer them back to the left : the left hand is passed in Shifting the Reins. front of the right, and the fingers are dropped through the reins, so that they are held in the left hand as at first. In riding in the double bridle, the two reins of the same side should never have an equal tension. That is, if the curb rein is acting, the snaffle rein should be loose, and vice versa. If, then, in riding 24 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL upon one bit it is desired to have the effect of the other, the bridle hand will yield as the aiding hand takes up the reins of the other bit. The horse will be ridden in the curb bit, and the snaffle bit will be used to elevate the head, and to in- augurate the bends and turns before the horse answers to the indirect curb rein, as will be here- after explained. To put the horse into a walk, the rider will draw the curb reins until he can take a feeling upon the mouth of the horse. He will then close his legs against the sides of the horse, and make gentle vibrations with the curb reins, until the animal yields the under jaw and sustains its head without support from the bit. The horse is then in hand, and ready to proceed. 1 Continuing the pressure of the legs, the hand will yield sufficiently to let the horse proceed at a walk, and as soon as it begins the movement the hand should resume the feeling upon the mouth, while the rider's legs prevent the horse coming to a stop. The tension upon the reins should not be constant, but by a series of little touches the rider should keep control and endeavour to make the horse's jaw pliant, yielding the tension upon the reins, by a slight movement of the hand whenever the horse yields the jaw. I f the horse carry 1 See Figure 17. RIDING AND TRAINING. 25 the head too low, and will not raise it in answer to the curb-reins, the bridle hand will be advanced for a moment, and the right hand pulling the snaffle reins from below upward will induce the animal to elevate the head, when the tension upon the curb reins will be resumed. To turn to the right, the right hand will bend the head of the horse in the proper direction by the right snaffle rein, and the bridle hand will be carried to the right, so that the left curb rein is borne against the left side of the horse's neck. After the horse enters upon the new direction an even tension will be taken upon the curb reins. To turn to the left, the reins will be shifted into the right hand ; the left hand will bend the head in the new direction by the left snaffle rein, the right hand will be carried over to the left, so that the right curb rein is borne against the right side of the neck of the horse, and after the horse has entered upon the new line the bridle hand will resume an even tension upon both curb reins. In time the horse will learn to obey the indication of the indirect curb rein thus given, and the use of the snaffle will gradually be aban- doned, and the horse will be turned to either side by the left or bridle hand, carrying the reins towards the side upon which the turn is to be made. In turning, in the double bridle, the legs will assist 26 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL the hands in the manner described in the fourth chapter, that is, both legs will close against the sides of the horse, the outside leg a little more strongly than the inside. To bring the horse to a halt from the walk, the rider will close his legs against the sides of the horse and draw the reins towards his body, re- leasing first the tension upon the reins and then the pressure of the legs when the horse has come to a stop. To put the horse into a trot, the rider will first demand the walk; he will then collect the horse between heels and hand without increasing the pace. The horse is then ready for the trot, which will be produced by increasing the pressure of the legs and giving sufficient liberty from the hand, the tension upon the reins being resumed when the horse begins to trot, while the heels are ready to keep up the action. As the trot is a pace in which the horse goes from one pair of diagonal legs to the other, raising each side to the same height, the tension of the reins should be even. If a disposition is shown to break into a gallop, in which one side is raised higher than the other, the trot may be maintained by holding the reins of even length and drawing them towards the body. To bring the horse to a halt from a trot, the RIDING AND TRAINING. 27 rider should close in his legs against the animal's sides and increase the tension upon the reins, until it comes to a walk, when it will be brought to a stop in the same manner. Whenever the horse is brought to a stop from action, the legs of the rider should prevent the halt being made too abruptly. The turns will be made in the trot exactly in the same manner as in the walk, the horse being col- lected before the turn is made. To understand how the horse may be made to gallop it is necessary to know how it performs the pace. The gallop is a series of leaps, in which the horse leaves the ground from one of its fore- feet with which it is said to lead and receives its weight upon the hind-foot diagonally disposed ; the other hind-foot and its diagonally disposed fore-foot then come to the ground at the same moment, then the first used or leading fore- foot is planted, and from the latter the horse again goes in air. At each stride the fore-foot and the hind-foot of the leading side are planted in front of the fore- foot and the hind- foot, respectively, of the other side. If the horse take the advanced steps with the fore-leg of one side and the hind-leg of the other side, it is disconnected in its gallop. If it turn to the right when the left legs are taking the advanced steps, it is false in its gallop. 28 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL To be trite and connected in the gallop, the fore and hind legs of each side must take corresponding steps, and the turns must be made to the side with which the horse leads. To make the horse gallop with either side from the halt, the walk, or the trot, the animal must first be collected between heels and hand ; by an upward play of the direct rein, or the rein upon the side with which the horse is to lead, the rider will lighten that side, and by a pressure of the opposite heel will stimulate the action and induce the hind-quarters to follow in the proper steps. The result of these applications of the aids will be that the horse will strike off in the gallop with the desired lead. Whenever, in demanding the gallop, or in any other case, one rein or one heel is employed, its effect must be measured by the other rein or heel, so that the forehand or croup will not be turned or bent more than is required. When the horse takes the gallop, in answer to the aids employed as I have described, from the halt, the weights are carried back, the forehand is raised, and as it again comes to the ground the fore-leg upon the lightened side is extended, and from it the horse goes into the gallop. The ' break * from a fast or disconnected trot is a very different performance. In that case the RIDING AND TRAINING. 29 weights are thrown upon the forehand; the hind- leg, which should come to the ground with a fore- leg, is not planted until after the latter receives the weight, and the order of steps are then from the time the delayed hind-foot comes to the ground those of the gallop. To keep the horse united in the gallop the rider should sit quietly, and he must take care not to let the hand interfere with the motion of the animal. He should turn only to the side with which his horse is leading, and, until he has acquired great skill, he should not attempt to make the changes of lead in the gallop. When it is necessary to change the lead, the horse should be brought to a trot and the new lead taken from that pace. The beginner should not make his horse gallop from the halt or the walk, but after putting the horse into a collected trot he will find no diffi- culty in demanding the gallop by the means I have described. To bring the horse to a trot from the gallop, the rider will first collect the animal, without affecting the rate of speed, and then, by continuing the pres- sure of his legs, and increasing the even tension upon both reins, reduce the speed and action to the trot. At the application of the rider's legs the horse carries its hind-legs under the mass, and the 3O ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL hand then brings back the forces of the forehand, and governs the speed and the action. When, in any pace, the hand gives the horse liberty as the rider's legs are pressed against its sides, the speed will be increased, as the strides will then be made with greater vigour; but the further the legs of the horse are carried under the mass, the greater will be the power of the hand ; so that it will be seen that the legs of the rider must aid the hand in every movement, and that the rider's legs must prepare the horse to answer the hand. ' This was sometime a paradox/ but, until those who dispute it show the same control over horses as those who practise it, we must be permitted to recommend the combined use of the aids. RIDING AND TRAINING. 3 I CHAPTER VIL LEAPING. IN order that he may acquire a firm seat, and learn how to bend his body with the motions of the horse, the beginner must practise leaping. The early lessons, in leaping should be made from a halt. The standing leap is more difficult than the flying leap, but the former has fewer dangers and the rules- for the seat may be more properly observed. The beginner should be mounted upon a quiet horse that jumps with willingness, and at first the bar should not be higher than eighteen inches. As the rider acquires skill and confidence the bar should be raised by degrees, until he can keep his seat while the horse leaps the bar at an elevation of three and a half feet, when he may be satisfied that he can ride a horse in the flying leap over any obstacle that is within the powers of the animal. But the beginner must maintain his seat perfectly at each stage before he undertakes to increase the height of the leaps, and whenever he finds that at a certain height his seat is disturbed he should lower the bar to a point that permits him to keep his seat in every particular. 32 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL It is not necessary for the rider to confine himself to the standing leap until he is perfect at the highest limit I have placed, but he certainly should not undertake the flying leap until he can keep his seat at the standing leap over a height of thirty inches ; and this leaping from the halt should be practised until he can ride the horse over the bar at a height of three and a half feet, which is quite high enough to test both rider and horse. In taking the leap from a halt, the beginner should hold a snaffle rein in each hand, leaving the curb reins upon the neck of the horse ; this will teach him to hold both hands in front of the body, and to avoid the habit of raising an arm as the horse rises. The feet should be carried to the rear, so that the seat may not be forced by a direct bearing upon the stirrups. The thighs should close against the body of the horse, and the knees must not be allowed to go back as the horse rises, or to come up as the leap is finished. As the horse rises for the leap the rider will lean forward, yielding the hand at the same time, so that there shall be no tension upon the reins. As the horse gives the spring from his hind-quarters the rider should drop his hands and lean back, gently resuming the erect position when the hind-feet of the horse have reached the ground. These move- RIDING AND TRAINING. 33 ments of the rider's body must not affect the grasp and position of the thighs, and the lower parts of the legs must be kept back until the jump is finished. As the horse alights the rider will resume the tension of the reins, and be ready to give the animal a firm support if it be required. But in taking the ' touch ' of the horse's mouth there must be no violence, and in giving support the horse must not be hampered or harassed. As soon as the horse acknowledges the bit by yielding the jaw the hand should make a like concession. An attendant should, in the first lesson, direct the movements of the horse with a leading-rein, so that the beginner may devote his attention to the positions of his body and extremities. After having taken a few leaps with the leading-rein the rider should be left to himself, so that he may learn to collect the horse for the leap. This collecting will be accom- plished by gentle vibrations of the reins and such pressures of the rider's heels as are required to make the horse gather itself for the exertion. To * raise ' a horse at a jump is a delicate operation, and the beginner should not attempt it. If the horse be a willing jumper the play of the bit made to collect its forces will be all that is required, and all that a beginner should attempt. But a horse can be raised to a leap, just as it can be raised to perform a c 34 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL pesade or any of the high airs of the manage. But when I speak of this lifting effect of the bit, I must not be understood to attribute to that instrument the power of raising the dead-weight of the animal from the ground. I have frequently said that the bit must never be used with violence ; and to raise the horse requires very delicate handling of its mouth, or its struggle against a severe use of the bit would produce disunion and heaviness. The rider raises the horse by carrying back, with the bit, the forces of the forehand ; the spurs bring the hind-legs of the animal under the mass, and, when the bit further lightens the forehand, induce the hind- quarters to take the weight. In this way the horse that has been taught to obey the aids can be raised at the will of the rider. If it be intended that the horse so raised shall spring from the hind-legs, the bit will release the forehand and the spurs will demand action from the hind-quarters. Until the rider can take a low leap in perfect form, he should not try anything difficult. But when practice and care have made him expert, the bar may be raised two or three inches each day until the limit I have fixed has been reached. A horse can leap very readily from a collected trot all the high movements of the manage are made from the passage and the changes of motion RIDING AND TRAINING. 35 from the trot to the leap and back again to the trot give excellent practice to the rider. The beginner will follow the same rules in riding the horse over obstacles from the trot as from the halt, and he will collect the horse, upon its alighting, to continue in the pace with which it approached the bar. When the horse takes a leap from the gallop it is not necessary for the rider to lean forward. As the horse springs from the ground he should lean back, more or less, depending upon the drop from the highest point in the leap, to resume the erect position as the hind-legs of the horse reach the ground. Upon a galloping horse the rider should approach a jump sitting down in the saddle, the knees and thighs close, the loins curved without rigidity, the feet a little in rear of the perpendicular, and the hands held low. .The horse should be ' in hand,' and directed towards the obstacle, but, while the rider will not surrender control over the animal, it must be given liberty to determine where and with what exertion it must take off for the leap ; and, after it alights, the hand will offer such support as is required, and collect the horse for the same speed as that with which it approached the leap. In resuming the tension of the reins, the hand should act lightly, so that the horse may not be impeded in its efforts to 36 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL secure its footing, but if the horse seeks the support of the reins, the rider must be ready to offer it. No attempt to lift the horse should be made in the flying leap, for, apart from the danger of pulling the horse into the obstacle, the animal will soon learn to wait for an indication from the rider when to take off, and in default of this may rise too late to clear the leap. A horse should never be whipped or spurred as it takes a leap, for such a course will make the exercise distasteful to the most generous animals. As a rule, the snaffle bit only should be used in jumping, for in the hands of an inexpert rider the curb bit will, by its severity, drive the horse to refuse leaping altogether. The safest form in which a horse jumps is where it raises the forehand and leaves the ground from the hind-legs, and alights upon the fore-feet ; and the greater the deliberation with which the leap is taken, the more certain the horse will be to jump in this manner. RIDING AND TRAINING. 37 CHAPTER VIIL DIFFICULT HORSES. AFTER the reader has schooled a horse he will not require any advice regarding the prevention of disorderly actions ; for the rider who has been able to make his horse perform the various school movements will understand how to acquire perfect control over the animal. But it is well to give some general rules for the guidance of the inexperienced pupil who finds him- self mounted upon a difficult horse, which has not been properly trained. As the man improves in skill, and the horse advances in its education, these methods may be superseded by others less crude and more in accordance with the system of training laid down in the second part of this work, but which would be hardly expedient for the untrained man and horse. Irritable Horses. Among my acquaintances I number some excellent riders, and, while any of them would willingly try to render a vicious horse manageable, I do not know one who professes to enjoy riding a dangerous animal. I have observed 38 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL that with increased experience and knowledge of the powers of an enraged horse comes a discretion, very far removed from timidity, that young riders would strongly condemn. While I warn my readers that timidity upon the part of the man is almost certain to result in some disaster, I advise each one to start out with that discretion that comes to most of us through experience. There is nothing more annoying to the judicious horseman than to find himself upon the back of a badly bitted animal, which is in that state of irrita- bility known in the stables as ' freshness.' In this condition the horse is so unreasonable, if I may use the term, that it is only by making concessions that the man can avoid a battle with the animal ; and the bit and spur, to which under other circum- stances the horse might render obedience, must be used with discretion and moderation. If. after a long rest in the stable, the horse be 1 longed ' upon the cavesson rein for a short time before it is mounted, the more violent ebullitions of temper may be disposed of before the rider trusts entirely to his skill in the management of the horse. For there is no better way of reducing the nervous and excitable animal to calmness than by means of that powerful but harmless instrument, the cavesson. Nor do I think it any disparagement to the horse- RIDING AND TRAINING. 39 man's skill or courage, that he will take measures for putting the horse in an obedient frame of mind before he undertakes to control it with bit and spur ; on the contrary, it is a humane and sensible action, in accord with the better methods of training by which everything that would frighten or annoy the horse, from the time the halter is first placed upon its head, is avoided. Mounting. It is possible that the first misconduct upon the part of the fresh horse will be an effort to prevent the rider mounting, either by rushing forward, or, what is worse, by running backwards, perhaps to throw itself against a wall. In the first case it would be well for the horse to be held in the cavesson by an attendant until the rider is in the seat. Should the animal evince a disposition to go backwards and some will do this with a violence that makes it very dangerous to the rider the horse should be started in a walk, and the man should mount while the horse is going forward. In this way I have seen those excellent horsemen, William and George Burgess of H arrogate, defeat the purposes of a vicious mare that had severely injured several persons who had attempted to mount it. But if the rider can vault into the saddle he will find no difficulty in mounting any animal upon which he can place his hands. 4O ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL If, after the rider has gained the saddle, the horse gives a few leaps or curvets, without forcing the hand or bearing upon the bit, it is better to take no notice of the action. It certainly should not be caressed, as that might be misconstrued as an encouragement to repeat the misconduct ; nor should the whip or spurs be resorted to, unless the rider be desirous of deciding the mastery in battle. If the horse carry the head too low, with the intention per- haps of ' bucking/ some short, sharp pulls upon the snaffle reins from below upwards will elevate the head. If the nose be thrust out, some light vibra- tions of the curb reins will bring the head into position. If a rider permits his horse to acquire the habit of starting suddenly whenever a vehicle approaches, he may cure the fault by driving the animal a few times in double harness, and by after- wards riding it in a crowded thoroughfare, where a horse is much less likely to misbehave than upon a lonely road where a noisy cart is occasionally met Rearing. It is very seldom that a horse will rear to a dangerous height, if there be no pressure upon the bit. If the horse rear, the rider should yield the tension upon the reins and lean forward, and as the fore-feet are about to come to the ground, he should administer a sharp blow with the whip upon the hind-quarters, or give a quick pressure with RIDING AND TRAINING. 4! the spurs to drive the horse along, and prevent it coming to a halt from which it can again rise. Should the rider find it necessary, when the horse rears, to take some support to retain his seat, he should seize the mane ; but he must take care not to pull upon the reins. Should the horse refuse to advance, the rider should bend its head to either side, 1 which will prevent the horse rising in front ; and if the spur of the side to which the head of the horse is bent be applied, the animal may be turned about a few times, when it will most likely be willing to go in any direction the rider pleases. But should the horse rear, in spite of the efforts of the rider, and the sinking of the croup show that the animal is about to fall backwards, the man should disentangle himself from the stirrups, seize the mane, and drop to ground upon the side opposite to that to which the horse is falling. In riding a horse that is given to this vice, the result of bad training, the reader should bear in mind that the animal cannot rear so long as it is kept moving. Shouldering. If the horse try to rub the knee of the rider against a wall, its efforts may be frustrated by the rider pulling the head of the animal towards the wall. Plunging. Should the horse plunge, or kick 1 See Fig. 9. 42 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL violently, the rider should lean back in the saddle, and keep the head of the animal elevated by short, sharp pulls upon the snaffle reins from below up- wards. Shying. If a horse, without defect in vision, be in regular work, it should shy at nothing. Fresh horses will affect fear or dislike of everything that attracts their attention, and there are some horses which have a trick of shying, and some of bolting away, from objects they know to be harmless. Even in the latter case punishment does no good, and, as I have explained before, the fresh horse must be treated with great discretion. It is very easy to teach a horse to shy; it is a difficult thing to cure the animal of the fault. A horse ' shies ' when it misses the support of a master- hand, or feels too closely confined in the presence of something that frightens or irritates it. That is, either extreme, of too much liberty or too much constraint, will cause the horse to make an effort to avoid the disagreeable object. Too often the man shies first, and leads the horse to suspect that it is threatened with danger. By careful treatment the horse will acquire so much confidence in its rider that it will be afraid of nothing ; by injudicious treatment the horse may be taught to suspect any- thing that attracts its attention. RIDING AND TRAINING. 43 The rider may induce the horse to pass a station- ary object by turning its head away from that which causes its terror and ' traversing ' by ; if that which has aroused its fears is a moving object, the head of the horse should be turned away from it, and the animal restrained by a light but firm hand. After the horse has passed or has been passed by anything that has frightened or annoyed it, the rider should encourage and reward the animal with kind words and caresses. By gradually bringing the horse nearer to anything that is likely to terrify it, such as bits of paper, banners, and the like, while it is given carrots or some other delicacy, the animal may soon be taught to face those things which usually prove frightful. Restlessness. Some horses become restless and disorderly when, after a short ride, thoy are turned towards their stables. A horse in this state may become so excited that it will be with difficulty restrained ; and until calmness is restored the pace should not be faster than a slow trot, which is the safest pace to keep whenever a horse shows temper. A horse is less apt to bolt, shy, or commit other bad actions from a slow trot than from any other move- ment. If the rider find that his hand annoys the horse, he should use the snaffle reins, holding those of the curb in such a manner that he may easily 44 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL exert the action of the severer bit if necessary. If the horse makes an effort to break away from the rider, or insists upon going faster than the rider wishes, it may be brought to recognise the power of man by being backed a few paces, and then made to advance slowly. This form of mutinous conduct upon the part of the horse, is the result of want of discipline and work. There is no better method of enforcing discipline than in gently reining back the animal, and this movement is usually followed, for the time at least, by complete obedience. Bolting is the violent effort a horse makes to break away from the control of the rider. It is the most dangerous of vices, as the horse in his frantic rush will stop at nothing, but will blindly go at a wall or over a precipice, unmindful of the severest bit. I look upon this vice, an intermittent madness, as incurable. But I believe that a horse trained to the poise in action, as I explain hereafter, can, by a determined rider, be prevented from bolting. A horse may run away without having ' bolted,' or a bolting horse may end in running away. Bolting is the quick, determined movement, usually off the course and often against some obstacle, that a horse makes to break away from restraint. A runaway horse usually keeps along the path it has been following, and will try to avoid injuring itself. RIDING AND TRAINING. 45 Running away is usually the result of excitement, either from exuberant spirits, from nervousness, or from having overpowered its rider in some way, such as shying ; the horse dashes off when it recognises the powerlessness of the bit. When the horse runs away, the rider should sit down in the saddle, and try to direct the course of the animal : and this can usually be done, for the neck and jaw are not always rigid, as in the bolting horse. If the rider finds that he cannot reduce the speed of the horse in his first efforts, he should not fatigue himself by a steady pull upon the reins; but at intervals he should take a firm hold of the reins, and see if he can get any influence over the horse. When the horse answers the bit by yielding the jaw or by reducing the speed, the rider should give strong pulls upon the reins, with short intervals between each effort, so that their effects may be cumulative, until the horse is brought to a stand. A horse that has once run away will repeat the fault whenever an opportunity occurs, and a weak or timid rider should never be permitted to mount an animal that has so offended. I wish to repeat that these instructions for the management of difficult horses are intended for animals that have not been properly trained : I should offer no advice on this head to the rider 46 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL who can school his own horse, for he will require none ; and I feel certain that a horse that has been trained according to the method I advocate will neither bolt nor run away. Stumbling}- Every rider knows that a horse moving in a slow and languid pace is much more apt to fall after a stumble than when ridden briskly. The low action of the slow movement multiplies the chances of tripping ; but the falls will be due to the fact that, in the disunited and slovenly manner in which the horse goes, the other legs have not been carried far enough under the mass to support the centre of gravity after a leading leg has struck against an obstacle. Some horses are constantly knocking their toes against obstacles, and yet never come down ; whilst a horse that raises his feet like a Clydesdale may carry his certificate of character upon his broken knees. That is, a horse that travels low may carry himself in a safe and collected manner ; and the animal that has a high mode of going may really bear himself so disunitedly that if he trip he must come down. The horse is less secure upon his feet in a walk than in a trot ; more apt to stumble in the trot than 1 I contributed this paper to the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, and, through the courtesy of its editor, I am permitted to use it here. RIDING AND TRAINING. 47 in the gallop. The gallop becomes less free from danger as it degenerates towards the trot, as in the canter ; and in the so-called 'jog trot,' which has one of the distinctive marks of the walk (i.e. three feet upon the ground at once, during certain stages, and is therefore no true trot), a horse is as likely to fall as in the most careless walk. In the walk the horse has never less than two feet upon the ground, and during certain stages he has three feet bearing the weight. In the true trot, the horse, practically, springs from one pair of diagonal legs to the other pair, for the difference of time between the impacts of either leg of each pair is infinitesimal. In the gallop the horse has, at certain stages, but a single leg bearing the weight, and at other times uses two or three legs to carry the mass depending upon the velocity and im- pulse. In every case a fall from a stumble is occasioned by the neglect of the succeeding bearer to take its place, in time, under the centre of gravity after one of the legs has been tripped up. For instance ; when in a walk the horse plants the right fore-foot, the left hind-foot is next advanced and planted (with a greater or less interval in time, according to the united state of the horse), the mass during the movement of these two having been 48 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL borne by the left fore-leg and the right hind-leg. If the horse stumbles with the right fore-foot as it is coming to the ground, he will fall if the diagonally disposed hind-foot is not brought up in time to support the centre of gravity which has already passed over the two legs (left fore and right hind) which are sustaining the mass. What can the rider do to avoid the disaster ? He may support the falling forehand by leaning back in the saddle and taking a bearing upon the bit, until the diagonal hind-leg is brought up under the centre of gravity, and the animal recovers from the disorder of the stumble. But this support of the bit must be given with care and discretion, for if the horse's head is pulled up and confined too much, the animal will not have freedom of move- ment sufficient to enable it to make the effort necessary to recover itself. But it is better to prevent mistakes upon the part of the horse, and this can be done by carefully riding the animal in a collected form. By lightly restraining the forehand with the bit, and demand- ing action from the hind-quarters with the spurs, each hind-leg may be made to follow its leading (diagonal) fore-leg with little or no interval. In the latter case the pace would be the manage walk a sort of passage and would fulfil all the con- RIDING AND TRAINING. 49 ditions of the true trot except that it is more languid than the latter pace. Here the horse may trip, but there is little or no likelihood of its falling, unless through weakness or stiffness. What has been said concerning the walk applies to all the other paces at a moderate speed. If the horse be collected and united, its legs will be carried so well under the mass that it will not be apt to fall from a stumble. Of course, at a high rate of speed the horse can- not be kept in a collected form, but fortunately a horse is not so liable to trip in a fast trot or a rapid gallop, and the supports follow each other so rapidly that the danger of falling is thereby decreased. D PART II. TRAINING. PART II. TRAINING, CHAPTER I. THE RESULTS OF TRAINING. THE advantage of a good method of training over a crude and improper one may be seen by comparing the carriage, action, and temper of a well-schooled horse with an animal that has been * broken ' in the usual manner. The schooled horse, carrying itself in a light and graceful manner, at easy, regular, and controlled paces, will render immediate obedience to every de- mand of its rider. The horse that has not been systematically schooled learns, in time, to carry its burden more or less awkwardly, depending upon its natural form and balance, in paces which hardly ever equal in grace and smoothness those in which it moved in liberty. If an animal consents to move along in a shambling walk, a disunited trot, and a lumbering gallop, hanging back from the bit or 54 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL bearing upon the hand, it is as far advanced in its education as the majority of horses ever get. By a course of physical training, such as prepares the athlete for his feats, and a kindly enforced disci- pline, in which resentment is never aroused and compliance becomes a fixed habit, the horse is rendered ready and willing to give prompt obedience to every demand of its master ; an artificial balance is acquired, so that the horse carries its rider in easy and united paces, and a thorough understanding between the man and the horse is established. As there is no man that cannot be improved by the exercises of the gymnasium, so there is no horse that cannot be improved by school work. There are few horses so ill-formed that, by suppling and collecting, they cannot be made light and graceful in carriage and action ; there are no horses that will not show striking change for the better. There is no doubt that the old method of schooling, in which the forces of the forehand were thrust back upon the hind-quarters by heavy hands and powerful bits, taught the horse to shun extended strides ; but I do not see why a horse schooled by the mild and easy system I have recommended should refuse to extend itself, although the whole of its education is directed to the point of obtaining united action. I have always been of the opinion that schooling a horse RIDING AND TRAINING. 55 would improve its speed, because the exercises should strengthen and make pliant the joints and muscles ; and I have never found that my horses showed any disinclination to extend themselves, although I have never made any tests that would authorise me to say that they could gallop faster by reason of their training. I am convinced, however, from my experiences, that a horse jumps much more strongly and safely after a course of general schooling than before it has been suppled. It is easier to train a horse properly than to train it improperly if an improper course of handling may be called training. There are no struggles for mastery, no efforts of the frightened animal to break away from a harsh hand, no resentments to be overcome, no suspicions to be allayed. It is all pleasant, easy, and amusing, both to master and to pupil. The time required to school a horse would depend upon the animal and, to a greater degree, upon the man. I think that by any of the recognised systems, a horse should be perfectly suppled, and made obedient to hand and heel, in the time that the ' breaker ' would make the same horse ' steady to ride ! ' The fact that a * system ' was- employed in the first instance would account for the greater improvement. And what a difference there would be between horses trained by the two methods ! 56 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL I have never exhibited a horse publicly, but I once rode a horse that I had trained before some gentlemen who were interested in the subject of schooling-, and the incident was noticed, by repre- sentatives of those papers, in The Times of June i, 1883; The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News of June 2, 1883 ; and Vanity Fair of June 9, 1883. I reproduce the article of The Times, as it bears me out as do the others in what I have said regard- ing the results of schooling : ' What may be done for a horse, not apparently by natural conformation fitted to be used for the saddle, simply by a course of kind, patient, and intelligently-directed schooling, has been exempli- fied, not a little to the surprise of the few gentlemen who have been invited to see it, by an animal belonging to Mr. Edward L. Anderson, one of our visitors from America, who is known by his works on the habits and management of the horse, to many lovers of this animal. At first sight Alidor is certainly not a promising subject as he stands in the riding-school waiting for his master to mount him. He is low at the shoulder, his head is heavy, the mouth shallow ; he stands with hinder limbs well out at an angle, and one is not surprised to learn that the dam was a Norwegian drudge, and that in his youth Alidor had an unenviable power of pulling RIDING AND TRAINING. 57 a load with his mouth. But the moment the groom has hooked up the light curb chain of the riding bit and the owner has mounted, the whole appearance and expression of the creature changes ; he pulls himself together, bringing his feet well under him, arches his neck, yielding his head to the slightest pull of the rein, and obeying the wish of the rider almost, as it seems, before the wish is ex- pressed, by a motion of the heel and the needle prick of the spur, or a gentle touch of the silk- tipped whip. ' The movements of the animal are as different from those of the farmer's gig-horse, that he would have been had not fate marked him out to receive a higher education, as the movements of one who has passed with profit through the gymnasium, the drill-ground, and the dancing-school are from those of a lumpish country lout. Alidor's neck and limbs are now, as the result of his training, remarkably supple ; the least tightening of the rein will cause him to bring his head round to his shoulder ; he will back in circles with a serpentine motion ; he will wheel round with any one of his legs for a pivot that the rider chooses ; he " traverses" in the passage action and executes demi-voltes and repeats reversed pirouettes with unfailing readiness and ease. Then to show his "form," he will advance with the stately 5 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL action of the Spanish march, and again with the same exaggerated motions at the trot. 'Circles and serpentines are repeated at the gallop, and he changes lead ; while, with the appli- cation of the spurs, he is brought to a dead halt as he is going at full gallop. A small wooden barred hurdle, thirty inches high, and about as wide as an ordinary cottage garden-gate, is placed in the ride ; the rider, taking off his spurs and throwing away his stirrups, walks Alidor up to the jump, and the obedient creature goes over the bars with a lightness one would hardly have suspected, even after witnessing his previous per- formances. Another narrow gate, of the same dimen- sions as the first, is set up little more than the length of the horse away, and he takes the two, in and out, as comfortably and unconcernedly as the one. ' What is most noticeable, perhaps, is the perfect habit of obedience which is the outcome of this system of education. The animal seems to have no idea of refusing to do whatever is required of him ; he went at a gallop straight at the wall, only stop- ping when the rider brought him up with the spurs just as his nose would have touched the bricks ; and throughout the whole hour's ride it was evident that the most perfect accord subsisted between man and RIDING AND TRAINING. 59 horse. The method by which these results have been attained is chiefly that of Baucher, with some modifications and additions suggested by the owner's experience, acquired in the French and Austrian schools/ The passage in the above regarding the French and Austrian schools, refers to the systems of those countries, which I practised, under such masters as S. S. Stokes, Joseph Merklen, and others, in America. I may here express my obligations, in general terms, to the writers upon horsemanship, for I have carefully studied the works of most of those who have treated the subject, from Xenophon down to the most recent authority. I have seen many of t;he best school-riders of our day, and from some of them I have received useful information. 60 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL CHAPTER // DISCIPLINE AND EXERCISE. THE secret of success in the management of horses lies in a kindly enforced discipline. Through gentleness and firmness, the most irritable animal may be made perfectly quiet and obedient. It is true that some of the horses that are publicly exhibited have been trained by harsh and violent means, but those horses render a sulky or timorous compliance only when within reach of the lash ; and the gay and ready air with which the half- savage Bronchos, recently seen in England, went through their extraordinary performances, proves the advantages of the mild rule under which they were drilled. It is important that there should be no breaches of discipline upon the part of the young horse ; for with care its education may be carried on without permitting the idea of resisting the trainer's will to enter the animal's mind. From the time the horse is taken in hand, it should be the object of the trainer to impress the horse with his power. The RIDING AND TRAINING. 6 I animal should not be permitted to move except at the command of its master. If it take a step in any direction without having received orders, it should be quietly made to resume its position. It should be made to keep the pace and action desired by the trainer, and in every possible way the horse should be made to feel that it must recognise a superior will. While it is wise to avoid a battle with a horse, the man should bear in mind that it is through the habit of obedience that he controls the animal, and he should, therefore, in laying the foundations of its education, endeavour to demand nothing that he is not prepared to enforce. But, above all things, the man should avoid challenging the horse to a contest, and then yielding to the angry animal, for, while a horse may forget that it has upon occasion been guilty of misconduct without receiving correction, it will always remember a successful resistance of authority. If the horse shows a determination not to accede to the repeated demands of its trainer, it must be made to obey, or the man's rule is in jeopardy. But this will not be a case for severe punishment ; nothing but patience will avail the trainer. The horse should be made to remain in place. Every voluntary movement should be checked, unless it be the one required by the man, when the horse should be rewarded as though it 62 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL had not been guilty of mutiny. Regardless of the time passed, or of the annoyance it causes him, the trainer should keep the horse in the same place, until it readily obeys the order it has refused. If the horse becomes violent, it may be hobbled ; but it is always better to obtain obedience with the bridle alone, as the horse will learn to look upon it as a potent instrument. The man may not desire to repeat this lesson, but it is seldom that any horse requires a repetition. The horse should never be punished with whip or spur. Those aids should be looked upon as the means by which the rider conveys his orders, and the animal should not wince or struggle when they are threatened or applied. The trainer should remember that nearly all the resistances of young horses arise from ignorance of what is required of them, and he should take great care to show the horse what is demanded of it before he thinks of correcting it for a fault. A horse trained according to the method I have offered, should, and I am convinced will, render immediate obedience to its rider. The horse in training, as at all times, should be kept in regular exercise. During the suppling lessons, it should be longed upon the cavesson rein. The cavesson is a sovereign remedy for nervous- RIDING AND TRAINING. 63 ness or restlessness. The reader will see from the print that the cavesson is a head-collar, having a metal nose-band upon the front and each side of which are rings for reins. I do not use a bit in exercising horses upon the longe, but I fasten the side reins to buckles upon each side of the surcingle, and put the longe-line in the ring on the front of the nose-band. The horse, equipped in the manner indicated, should be taken to some quiet spot, and made to go quietly about the trainer, first to one hand and then to the other. At intervals the animal should be drawn to the trainer to receive caresses and kind words. In this way the horse receives an excellent kind of exercise, in which much of the general suppling is accomplished, and gains a confidence in man that cannot be imparted so rapidly by any other means. The pulls upon the longe-line should be very light. Waving the line a few times horizontally will usually induce the horse to stop. The greatest power (to be used with discretion) may be obtained by waving the line up and down, and by giving a pull upon the rein as the hand comes down. It is better not to let the horse go faster than a slow trot in longeing it. In the rapid paces there is great risk of injury, and the horse falls into a care- 64 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL less and heavy manner of moving that must be corrected afterwards. The lessons should be given every day, and the horse should be in the hands of the trainer at least an hour divided, if possible, into two lessons of thirty minutes each day. When the horse is used under the saddle, the suppling lessons should be given before and after the riding exercise, until the animal understands and answers to every indication of the bits ; and whenever, at any time, the horse becomes indifferent to the bits, or dull in movement, as it may through bad or careless riding, it should be put back to the flexions and supplings. RIDING AND TRAINING. 65 CHAPTER III. SUPPLING AND COLLECTING. THE first objects of the trainer should be to .supple the horse and to teach it to collect itself. This suppling is employed not only to overcome the active or intentional resistances of the horse, but to act also upon the defences and resistances which come from malformation in the animal, when the weak parts will be gradually strengthened and supported, and the parts that are rigid will be made pliant : then the forces will be so collected that the animal shall be given the best position from which to obey all the demands of the rider, which will be conveyed by the same indications that the horse has learned in the lessons for suppling and col- lecting. The principal resistances of the horse depend upon the rigidity of the muscles of the head and neck. When these have been made to yield to the bit, and when the hind-quarters will answer to the application of the spur, the rider may collect the forces of the extremities and take control of the mass. 66 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL The face of the horse should always be vertical to the plane of movement; but the height at which the head should be carried will depend upon the make of the animal. When we come to describe the various processes for suppling the forehand, it will be seen that some of the exercises are employed to make the horse lower the head, others to induce its elevation. These exercises give to the rider the power of demanding the proper carriage of the head from the mounted horse. If the horse be high and well developed in the forehand, but weak and deficient in the hind- quarters, it will be necessary to have the head carried low enough to permit the forces of the croup to be brought up to the point of balance between them and the forces of the forehand, or the forehand will dominate the croup, so that the action in the latter part will be hampered and constrained. If the hind-quarters be strong and high, and the forehand low and heavy, or weak, the head of the horse must be elevated sufficiently to carry back the forces of the forehand, and the hind-legs must be carried under the mass to lower the croup, so that the forces of the extremities may be in balance ; otherwise the croup will overpower the forehand, and the action of the latter will be dull and cramped. The form of the animal will suggest to the RIDING AND TRAINING. 67 trainer the kind of exercises best suited to it ; but when the rider mounts a horse he will at once know what is necessary to bring the forces into equi- librium. If the horse hangs upon the hand, or is heavy in front, the head should be elevated and the forces of the forehand carried back. If the action of the hind-quarters be languid, the forehand should be lowered and the forces of the croup stimulated and carried forward. But when the face is vertical, the neck rounded, the lower jaw pliant and yielding, and the horse seems to grow, while the action is light, regular, and even, the rider will know that the forces are col- lected and in the best possible position. 68 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL CHAPTER IV. IN THE SNAFFLE BIT. THE training given to the horse in the snaffle bit is of the highest importance, and the grace and lightness with which the horse will afterwards move in the double bridle will depend upon the thorough- ness with which these elementary lessons have been followed. The snaffle is an excellent bit for a bad rider, because with it he can do but little harm. Skilfully used by a good horseman it is very effective. But for general use it does not supply the place of the curb bit, and it has a tendency to impair the light- ness of the rider's hands, and to induce the horse to hang upon the reins. To obtain the best results in training, it is abso- lutely necessary to have the effects of both the curb bit and the snaffle. At first, however, we should put the horse in the snaffle, to teach the animal the direct indications of the bit ; and, as soon as the horse is well grounded in the lessons appointed for that purpose, we should RIDING AND TRAINING. 69 put on the double-reined bridle before the easy bit has, perhaps, produced bad habits. The objects we shall have in view in the follow- ing exercises, are : i st. To make the horse carry its head in the position that will give the rider the greatest control over the mouth. This is with the face vertical to the plane upon which the horse moves. 2d. To teach the horse to elevate or to depress the head, so that the rider may control the forces of the forehand in collecting the horse. 3 trT-^ - K4 -