. Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2009 witii funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries http://www.arcliive.org/details/analysisofliorsem02adam AN ANALYSIS OF HORSEMANSHIP ; TEACHING THE WHOLE ART OF RIDING, IN THE MANEGE, MILITARY, HUNTING, RACING, AND TRAVELLING SVSTE M TOGETHER WITH THE METHOD OF BREAKING HORSES, . FOR EVERY PURPOSE TO WHICH THOSE NOBLE ANIMALS ARE ADAPTED. BY JOHN ADAMS, RIDISG-MASTER. IJf THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. ALBION PRESS PRINTED ; PUBLISHED BY JAMES CUNDEE, IVY-LANE SOLD BY C. CHAPPLE, PALL-MALL. 1805. TREATISE, ON TRAVELLING. OR ROAD-RIDING. vVHEN persons are pursuing their busi- ness, pleasure, or recreation on the road, precise formahty and attention to the strict rules of riding would interrupt their enjoy- ment, and divert them, in some degree, from attending to the various objects that present themselves, the conversation of a companion, or the delightful prospects con- tinually opening to their view. Therefore, in this system of riding, thought and atten- tion, more than regulating the pace and di- recting the road, are rarely indulged ; and VOL. II. B this 2 ON ROAD-RIDING. this, after due practice, becomes habitually instinctive. The small share of science requisite to direct the horse that is quiet and good-tempered, induces many to think it unnecessary to learn to ride; but I think my introduction to the first volume has suffi- ciently pointed out the contrary. And here I shall observe — that those Avho have been taught the true principles of riding, and practised it till it becomes easy and habitual to them, can never depart from it so far as to render themselves conspicuously awk- ward, or in danger from the ordinary occur- rences that may happen. The military cannot adopt this ease and indifference, because the soldier's attention is always occupied. If the horse only walks he has an exact situation to keep, a file to cover, and preserve the line with the flanks; his ears must be attentive only to the com- mands of his officer, and his hand have the; horse in readiness at the instant to execute with precision. Thus the military are ne- cessitated ON ROAD-RlDlNG. 3 cessitated to ride with more formality thau is pleasant or necessary for gentlemen on th^ road. Though I admit, for the sake of ease, the participation of company and the sur- rounding ohjects, deviation from precise 1-ules, yet I do not mean to vary the system or substitute another for the road. I think there are several systems, which^ though called by some good riding, would be very degrading and unbecoming gentle- men to imitate. For instance — the men ^ho shew horses for the dealers, are gene- rally thought to ride well. They must ne- cessarily be men of firm seat and void of fear ; but their onty conception of good riding is, to make the horse go straight and as fast as they can. To display themselves and horse to the best advantage, they sit as stiff as possible, divide their reins, and place their hands low, and endeavor to keep the nose down, and drive him forward with the spurs. Many of their horses being, what B 2 is 4 ON ROAD-RIDIXG. is termed, raw — that is, but little accustom- ed to be rode, and only in this awkward manner — would not shew to so much advan- tage, by any other method — but this me- thod should not be a pattern for gentlemen. The next description of riders I shall notice, are gentlemen's sen^ants or grooms. From their occupation one would suppose these men would ride well, and without doubt some of them do : but how fi-equently do we observe the labour and difficulty others of them have to manage a quiet horse. Many of the spectators conceive the liorse to be exceeding violent and unrul}'^, and admire the boldness of the rider; when, in fact, It is too frequently the unskilfulness of the horseman that occasions the horse to bo so impatient and restless: for w^hen a horse is well fed and little worked, many will shew an eagerness to get on; and if the rider has not a mild effective hand to res- train the horse, the harsh hand, though it checks, yet it irritates, and the horse be- somes more impatient and restless under the severity ON ROAD-RIDING. 5 severity of the hand. This frequently pro- vokes the rider, and he applies the spurs, which make the horse more violent and un- governable. I do not know but some gen- tlemen may be proud of displaying their horsemanship in this manner; they will only, however, draw the admiration of the ignorant, for nothing can distinguish the horseman or gentleman so much, as tha elegance, delicacy, and ease with which he makes the horse obedient to his will : not but there are violent, hot, and impatient horses, who will be restless under the best of hands — but the good luind restrains with mildness and ease, and the horse's tempei by degrees cools and subsides, while the vio- lent hand frets, provokes, and defeats its own intention. The rudiments cf the art beinor once known, when on the road, no more is to be applied than will, with the greatest ease, fa- cilitate our design ; and where you require no more of the horse than to perform the natural paces, he will walk, trot, and gallop B 3 with 6 ON ROAD-RIDING. with the greatest freedom. The rider par- ticipates the hke ease or unrestrained hber-r ty ; so that road-riding bears the same ana- logy to miUtary-riding, as mihtary-riding does to manege-riding, laying aside all un- necessary restraint when we can perform to our satisfaction without it. Let me explain what I mean by unres- trained liberty, lest those who have not con- firmed the principles of riding by sufficient practice, may throw off their restraint too soon, and fall into errors, that might not only be awkward, but, under some circum- stances, dangerous. The position of every part of the horseman is to be preserved, the same as in the military seat; but the res- traint to be thrown off is, first that of the mind; for having nothing to perform but what by your former practice you can now execute, without a thought, your attentior^ is amused by various other objects : — next of the body; for the exertions of the horse, in the manege lessons, are drawn from him by a similar exertion. In the rider exertion now ON ROAD-RIDING. 7 now becomes unnecessary, since you require no more than the natural paces of the horse, performed with the greatest ease and free- dom to himself; and your whole system becomes more relaxed and falls into an easy flexibility, pleasant both to yourself and horse. But this ease or inattention is not to suffer unseemly habits to take place, such as the back or shoulders to get round, the hand to shake, the legs to dangle and beat against the horse's sides, or placed considerably forward to bear in the stirrups. These errors may, more or less, creep on a person who has not confirmed the principles by sufficient practice ; but when habits of good riding are firmly establislied, the ease and liberty he assumes will not exceed propri- ety, risk his security, nor abandon or baffle the horse ; his hand will keep its situation and properties, though the body be turned to any extreme for the purpose of viewing, conversing, and the like. Nor will the body, by any freedom it takes, throw itself out of balance, nor take the liberty at a period, when it cannot be done with safety. B 4 This ^ ON ROAD-RIDING. This freedom and ease, so desirable and universally admired, is affected by every person who is in the habit of riding, but with this difference; some unite system with negligence and ease, and others negligence and ease without sj^stem. This freedom and ease, which negligence will naturally fall into. I have known mas- ters endeavour to inculcate before the rudi- ments and principles of riding. But how- ever specious and pleasing such a mode may appear to the pupil, I will be bold to say, it is beginning at the wrong end ; and if the pupil has not aptitude, which practice will improve, such a mode of instruction will never make a horseman. Since the rider's ease and convenience is the principal consideration in riding on the road, it is admissible when the trot is ex- tended to an unpleasant roughness, to ease the jolting by rising in the stirrups. This is so soon learned, that it scarcely needs a description, since none in the habits of rid- ON HOAD-RIDING. 9- ing, l)ut actually accomplish it, and it is gene- rallj^the first thing the young untutored horse- man aims at, though a ridiculous awkward- ness frequent!}^ attend some at their first attempt, and many imbibe unseemly habits which they cannot easily abandon. Now, to ride with elegance and ease, the following remarks may be useful ; or at least, may caution you to avoid ridicu- lous habits. Let the trot be extended to such a degree, that the action of the horse may raise you considerably from the saddle, while the sitting becomes rough and uncom- fortable. To attempt it before would be not only unseemly, but difficult : for the faster the horse trots, the easier it is to rise. It is the action of the horse, and not any ef- fort of 5^our own that should raise you. Then if you bring your body a little forward when the action of the horse raises you from the saddle, a greater portion of your weight will be received in the stirrups, by which you ease your return to the saddle . Now 10 ON RO AD-HIDING. Now the next remark I shall make on a subject which is so easil}^ accomplished may be thought tedious by some, yet to others it may be gratifying. I have observed that a horse leads with one or the other foot in the trot, the same as in the gallop, and the feet beat the time of one, two. The foot which the horse leads with, determines the one you are to rise to, and you cannot change the order if you would by raising to the contrary ; but if the horse changes his foot you are necessitated to change with him, till which, your time is broken and you are disunited, so that you rise, and fall with his leading foot ; which foot, beating the time of two, you rise at one, the leading foot being in the air, and fall at two when it comes to the ground. Thus the horse renders it perfectly easy to you by raising the body and marking the time, which, if you do not counteract by any endea^ vours or eftbrts of your own, you soon fall into. Bcsinners ON ROAD-RIDING. 11 Beginners are apt to try tliis in a slow trot, in which the action of the horse does not sufficiently raise them, and they endea- vour to raise themselves by the stirrups. This is labour instead of ease, and such are said, in derision, to ride faster than their horse. The rise and return of the body are to be smooth, even, and as regular as the beats of the feet, if you, through inattention lose your time, you get bumped upon the saddle till you fall into it again. Though this is called rising in the stirrups it is to be remembered that no great stress or depen- dance is to be made on them. A person can rise to the trot without the assistance of the stirrup, but not with so much ease to himself. It is, therefore, to be used as such and no more. Thus, when the body is raised from the saddle, the feet have a momentary pressure in the stirrups which subsides as the body returns to the saddle. If you make more use of the stir- rups tlian this, you risk your own safet}^ ; for I have observed that an improper use of 3 the 12 ON ROAD-RIDING, the stirrups occasions many persons to be thrown, and a horse shying oi- suddenly turning round would occasion such a dis- aster. The rising of the bod}^ is not to be accompanied b}^ any motion of the arms or lifting the shoulders ; nor is the small for- ward inclination of the body to occasion any roundness in the back ; this is invaria- bly to be hollow, not only for the seem- liness, but for the safety of j^our person ; likewise, the action of the body must not cause the legs to move ; some suffer their legs to swing backward and forward Avith the motion of the body ; but care must be taken to avoid all unseemly habits : the legs are certain to be in their natural and most proper situation, if the stirrups hang per- pendicular, and the ball of the foot resting on them; from thence they are never to move, unless to apply the calves or the spur. And, though indifference and inat- tention may permit them to deviate a little, yet those who have confirmed the true prin- ciples b}^ sufficient practice, never suffer them to remove beyond a certain medium, which. ON ROAD-RIDING. 13 which o.therwise Avould expose the seat to disaster. The body must have no assistance from the bridle to accompany the action of the horse, the hand must be held steady, and the reins of that determined lengtii which preserves a communicative correspondence between the hand and mouth; and though the rising of the body diminishes the effec- tive operation of the appui, yet still there re- mains a proportion according to the good- ness of the rider's hand, and the quality or fineness of the horse's mouth ; for I consider the system of riding, which I am now treat- ing on, to be the practice of gentlemen, in their daily recreation on the road, which, consequentl}^ should be divested of every thing that is unpleasant and fatiguing. Therefore the horse should be properly broke;- and not put to such extremes a^ would require an arduous support from the rider to assist his performance; such as trotting-matches and racing. The horse then, rode at no greater rate than he can accom- 14 ON ROAD-RIDING. accomplish with ease to himself, will carry his head up and play upon his bit, and be as obedient to the operation of the hand and aids, as this system of riding can possibly require. From these remarks I think no one can mistake wrong for right, which is all I think necessar}^ to say under this head ; but those who ride fast, and horses difficult to stop, &c. must look to the next and fol- lowing subjects. 15 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. Hunting, though a pleasurable, is a very laborious exercise, and requires you to ride with firmness, boldness, and some degree of judgment ; that is, to spare your horse and prevent yourself and him from incur- ring unnecessary perils. As these are great and desirable, as well as essential qualities, no wonder our young sportsmen are so forward in distinguishing themselves in the field. So much so, that some purchase the two first qualities at the expence of the last, which is the most valuable of the three. Every system of riding, except the ma- nege, is occasionally used in hunting, but that seat which is properly callod the hunt- ing-seat, is that of riding in the stirrups ; and though gentlemen may give their hor- ses 16 ON THE HUNTING SEAT.' ses a breathing in this style of riding, in the park, or occasionally over a piece of com- mon b}^ the road side, yet it is not becom- ing or genteel to practise it much on the road. The intention of this style of riding, is to give the horse a stead}^ and firm support from the hand, and to relieve yourself from that friction and heat which the bottom would receive from such strong and con- tinued gallops, if seated close down on the saddle. The first thing to be considered, is the length of stirrup, which must not be too short, thouo-h somewhat shorter than what was re- commended for military or road-riding ; but a little practice will soon discover to you the exact length you should ride, if you re- mark that you cannot ride too long, when you can sit as liereafter described, and the bottom, after strong galloping, does not bump or come in contact with the saddle. I shall t ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 17 I shall now take another method to de- scribe the difference of the three principal seats — the Manege, Military, and Hunting- Seats. If, then, you place your feet paral- lel to each other, and about two feet asun- der, and your body upright, then bend your knee, and sink your body that the knee shall just, and no more than interrupt the sight of the toe, you will be in the ex- act position of the manege seat ; still keep- ing the body upright, but sinking as low as you can without stooping, or projecting the knee before the toe, and you will be in a coiTcct position for the military, or road- riding: the difference, therefore, you find is a shorter seat, consequently a shorter stirrup. This length of stirrup, though it will raise you sufficiently from the saddle to ride in the stirrups for a while, yet will not be found short enough for a long gallop, nor permit you to stoop the body forward to go under boughs of trees and the like, without losing your centre of gravity, and thereby abandoning your horse. Therefore, from the above position, if you stoop the body VOL. II. c forward 18 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. forward, and preserve the centre of gravit}% and the powers of supporting your horse, you are necessitated to sink and thrust the rump out behind — this is the hunting seat ; and the stirrup must be shortened to admit this position, without the bottom coming in too close contact with tlie saddle. I have taken the hberty of describing the position of the different seats on foot, not only as the easiest, but likewise to show that the centre of gravity is at all times in like manner to be preserved on horseback. Were you to stoojj your body forward, with- out thrusting the rump out behind, j^ou could not support your horse ; if you thrust the rump out beyond the proportion that the body is projected fbrw^ard, you impede the horse. The fu'st of these circumstances should never happen, and the other only for the purpose of imj)eding. Hence it is to be observed, when jou rid^ in the stirrups the centre of gravity must be preserved, indcpendant of any assistance ' frorri ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 10 from the bridle; and the uprightness or for- ward inchnation of the body, is to be that which is most natural and pleasant to your- self and will be more or less according to the rate you gallop, and the support the horse requires. If you affect to stoop be- yond a certain medium, it looks ridicu- lous ; nevertheless you must have that li- berty and freedom in your seat, and j^our stirrup, without being too short, must be short enough to admit your stooping under a bough and the like, without losing your gravity, and abandoning your horse. This will suffice to explain the intention and principle of this style of riding, and by which you ma}^ ascertain the length of stirrup you should ride with. Though j^ou can ride the trot in this position, never- theless begin your practice in a moderate or slow gallop, as being the easiest. Raise yourself in j^our stirrups, and, if necessary, at the same time shorten your reins. That you may not in this, nor in any other change of position, abandon your horse, when raised c2 20 ON THE HUNTING SEAT, in your stiiTups, endeavour to find and pre- serve your gravity without the least assist- ance from the bridle, for which reason I have recommended you to begin with a slow gallop, in which the horse should ride light, and play upon the bit. So that you are completely poised in your stirrups, it is immaterial what elevation or inclination you give your body; j^ou must be able to vary that after awhile, as circumstances may require; for the present let it be that which you fmd most pleasant to yourself, and endeavour to obtain a firmness that neither the action of the horse, nor his tugs, or playing on the bit, shall in the least disturb. This firmness depends on the correctness of your position, aided by the grasp of mus- cles in the thighs just above the knees : not that you are to fatigue yourself by applying unnecessary exertion ; sufficient to keep you steady in the saddle, and afford the horse the required support, is all tliatis necessary, and that may be more or less, according to the ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 21 the roughness of the action, the sj^eed the horse goes at, and the pull or support he takes. I shall now remark the precise position of ever}^ part, that errors and unseemly habits may be avoided. First, of the body:— When the horseman is raised in the stir- rups, it must have a forward inclination from about twenty to fortj^-five degrees short of a perpendicular, as the rider shall find most pleasant and convenient for himself; for if he is galloping at a moderate pace, from twenty to twenty-five degrees of inclination might be most pleasant, and to stoop to forty-five degrees would look ridiculous, as being unnecessary ; but when galloping at full speed, you may find it necessary to thrust your rump out farther behind to in- crease your powers to support the horse, and this gives the body a greater inclina- tion ; but whether the body has a great c 3 or 22 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. or small inclination, the position otherwise must be the same as when upright ; that is, the breast open, the shoulders down, the back hollow, the head firm. The arms must be placed firm, and close to the body, and the reins are mostly held by both hands without separating, for the eagerness of horses when hunting will occasion them to pull even in their slow paces; you therefore require the assistance of both hands. Now the firmest hold you can have with both hands, without separat- ing the reins, is to apply the right hand before the left, put the middle finger down- ward between the reins, then grasping the hand, turn yogr elbows down close to your body, and your thumbs up — you will find this a secure hold. The thighs are more or less oblique, as the rump is more or less thrust back, but otherwise act and have the same functions, as I have sulficicntly explained in the seat; the situation of the leg is, as before described. ■ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 23 described, the toe to be perpendicular to the knee, and horizontal with the heel and foot, and nearly parallel with the horse's sides ; the stirrup-leather as I have before explained. I know many sportsmen that are in the habit of riding home in the stirrups, will object to my system of not riding home, and their reason is, because they from cus- tom cannot ride otherwise; but if they had began and continued my method, they w^ould have found no difficulty, and the chafing their legs and galling their insteps would have been avoided. Beside, they lose a considerable easement; for when you ride in the stirrups (I do not mean under the toe, as you may clo in manege-riding without inconvenience) under the ball of the foot, you have the play of the instep, which acts as a spring, as does also the knee, and the joints, next below the hip, which save the body from a great part of the roughness which the action of the horse occasions. c 4 Thus 24 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. Thus having considered the position of every part in this system of riding, I shall now proceed to the situation, operation, power, and effects of the hands. The situation of the hand, or hands (if hoth are employed) is to be in the centre ; the arms being pressed to the body will be the exact situation (with respect to the body) as was originally directed; but the position of the body makes it operate lower or nearer to the pommel of the saddle. In this situation, the reins properly collected to retain and support the horse ; in a slow or short gallop, you will feel the appui, or tugs, at every cadence of the gallop, light, obe^ dient, and pleasant ; or, to speak in terms that will be better understood by those who have not read the former part of this work, you will feel him champ and play pleasantly on the bit. But should the eagerness of the horse, the animation of other horses, or any other cause make the horse desirous of going fasten ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 25 faster, you will feel the appui stronger, in- viting of" liberty, and trying to force it; but this is in the power of any middling horse- man to prevent. Nevertheless, admitting that you permit him to increase his speed, you give him a little more liberty, and grant him that support which the extension j^ou have allowed requires. For you are to ob- ser^^e, while a horse is unexhausted, or eager, the more a horse extends his speed, the more support he takes from the hand, and by practice you will be able to discover what is the requisite support the horse should have, and check what he takes over and above through his eagerness, (or the habit he has acquired by bad riding,) to go faster. When you have let the horse ex- tend himself in the gallop, you will feel the support he takes to be a steady pull ; and when this support, with his eagerness to get on, occasions him to pull beyond your strength to hold, you are necessitated to check him, by altering your position, that is, by raising your hand and body, thereby throwing your weight off the centre back- wards. 26 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. wards. This checks and pulls him a little together, v/hich advantage you must endea- vour to keep, by not letting him get so much superiority again, for you are not to continue with your weight out of centre, but ride widi your body more upright, which will raise youT hands, and as I have observed when treating on the hand, this increases your own, while it diminishes the horse's power. If it should so happen, by raising your hand and body to check, and get the ascen- dency of the horse, you raise and throw his head out of place, you must let him drop it again, for no horse can gallop well, nor safely, if his head is not in the place which, according to the make or formation of his forehand, nature intended he should carry it. Nor must you carry your hand so high as to prevent him, but keep your ascendency by not letting him get so much of his head. Since, then, all horses pull more or less when extended in the gallop, so some from their ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 27 their formation, and situation in which they carry their heads, together with the con- firmed habit of being rode with heavy in- sensible hands, pull so exceeding hard that a weak or inferior horseman cannot hold or govern them, for the harder you pull (as they observe) the faster they run, it becomes necessary to show the most powerful means that can be employed to stop them, or pull them together for that purpose. The principle by which this is done, is by repeated efforts to raise the head, and get the haunches under, which diminishes his power, and gives your hand the ascend- ency. First, then, I have directed in the stop, seize the time, and with all your strength and weight, throw your body back, taking a firm hold with your legs, bracing your arms strong, and letting your hands have a firm upward operation to get the head up; the instant this is performed, let the body come upright, that the hands may be eased, and the effect is this : the throw- ing the whole strength and weight of body 4 back, 28 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. back, the hands operating to raise the head, is a considerable check, the body instantly coming forward to ease the hands, deprives the horse of the support he depended on, which deters him from extending himself so freely as before. You must the next stroke repeat your effort, which will have a greater effect in proportion to the check the first effort made; the third effort will generally, if firmly and properly applied, bring the horse in hand, that you can stop, turn, or do as you please with him, but if not, you must repeat your efforts till you can. You must be mindful to leave no interval between your efforts, whereby the horse would recover one check before you give him the next, if you do you labour to no purpose. Some little men are more powerful on horseback, than much larger men of robust habits : this depends on the whole of their powers acting at the same instant, and seizing the exact time ; for an irresolute undetermined person first pulls, then throws his body back, then ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 29 then grasps with his legs and thighs, and though these follow immediately, yet the effect is lost if they are not done at one and the same instant. Should the horse obstinately defend him- self against the efforts of the hand, to raise the head, the separating the reins will in- crease your power, and the moving the bit by opening your fingers first of one hand and then the other, will disarm, at least, a part of his defence ; so that your efforts may bring him into your hand. A person that is not possessed of these powers on horseback, when he rides a horse that is eager and pulls hard, considers the horse runs away with him, and so in reality he does, but not from vice or intention, but only from eagerness and the habit of being rode by heavy hands. The planting your feet forward in the stirrups, to pull against, is not to be done in these cases ; your holdt must be from the grasp of the legs and knee, and the check which you give the lior«e 30 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. horse will not divSturb your seat ; but, were your legs planted forward, the check of the horse would throw you high from the sad- dle ; and, if it should be on one side, you might come to the ground. There are occasions on which the legs are placed a little forward to increase your pull, but this is only when you intend to impede the horse without stopping. You then put your legs forward, and throw your weight out of centre, for the moment only ; for by this j^ou increase the weight or pressure of the saddle on the horse, which would be very distressing to him were it for a continu- ance. The directing and turning your horse in those extended paces requires neither art nor delicac}^ The horse should obey the pressure, which must be given forcibly and strong, in proportion to the pull or support he takes from you ; and where he does not readily obey the pressure, j^ou assist and compel him by pulling the rein to which- ever ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 3 1 ever hand you wish to turn, as has been before explained. This being the principle and theory of riding in the stirrups, I shall conclude it, with making a few cautionary observations • — ^f irst, the extension of the horse and j^our inability to stop him at the instant, shews the impropriety of such riding on the road near town ; and when in the field it is ne- cessary that you carry your eyes well for- ward, to be aware of pulling your horse to- gether in time whenever you have occasion either to stop or change your direction ; for a horse, when extended, requires a conside- rable scope to turn in, and, should j^ou neg- lect this necessary caution, the horse may precipitate himself and you into imminent danger ; or, checking himself unawares to you, throw you out of your seat. The judgment in riding a hunting, is to spare your horse as much as possible, never to rate him against other horses, though you find him or them, uichned so to do : you must 32 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. must necessarily ride to keep up with the hounds, but you must be mindful to keep sufficiently behind, never to ride among them. By being a moderate distance be- hind, you may observe the hit or course, of the leading hounds, and save a conside- rable deal of ground; should the doubling of the game put you in a situation before the hounds, though you view it aad know the course, you are not to ride till the hounds have passed you; avoid hallooing to the hounds, it is the business of the huntsman, and is generally oifensive to him and the proprietor. I do not mean you are not to give notice to the field of what, perhaps, you may be the first or only ob- server, such as — when you find game sit- ting— viewing when the hounds are not run- ning— breaking cover, and the like. Should circumstances throw you out, or leave you considerably behind, fast riding may be necessary ; but not to rate your horse at speed; for, by this, you would soon blow and distress him so that he could not cover ON THE HUNTING SEAT. 33 cover his leaps ; a rate considerably short of speed will bring you up; therefore, the free- ness of your horse, even in this case, must not induce you to let him exhaust himself, but pull at, and save his wind as much as you can. Look before you leap, is a neces- sary cauCion ; a person who knows the country may ride more forward than one who is a stranger to it ; never take unneces- sary leaps to display your horse, nor leap at gate or rail, if you can get through or over the hedge or fence ; and, if your horse is not a very . safe leaper and used to take timber, it is advisable to go round, if you cannot open the gate ; never push your horse up hill, nor too fast down, and spare him all you can in unfavourable ground, such as ploughed fields, swamps, and the like. Fern, furze, heath, hillocks, flints, &c. to persons not accustomed to them, may ap- pear great obstacles ; but horses and men when accustomed to hunt, find them small VOL. II. D impedi- 34 ON THE HUNTING SEAT. impediments, and ride as freely over them as on plain ground. For the care and accommodation of the horse, let him take either, or change his leg as often as he pleases ; and, for your own ease, change your system of riding as often as you find it pleasant and convenient, by which, I mean, you can frequently keep up in a trot, in which you can, by way of change, sit close to the saddle, rise in the stirrups, or stand in the stirrups. Be cautious of riding into close covers, lest you should not fmd your way out ; but where there are rides or passable tracts, you may ride in, being mindful to avoid and defend your head from the boughs, &c. In forest-hunting, or among trees, hard- mouthed and untractable horses are not only unpleasant, but dangerous, therefore must be rode with more care. Attending ON THE HUNTING SEAT 35 Attending to these remarks, the young sportsman may appear in the field without being ridiculous — the old sportsman has no occasion for them : for sitting of leaps, I re- fer you to the part where it will be treated on. D ^ ON 36 ON THE RACING SYSTEM. The system of riding adapted for racing, is exactly the same as the hunting seat, when rode in the stirnips; consequently, there is but little more to sa}^ on a subject that has been so fulh^ discussed. A few re- marks which were umiecessary and foreign to the subject of hunting, will be found all that is requisite to complete this system. The person who is to ride a race, beside the grand requisite of honesty, should have qualities which qualify him for the perfor- mance : — first, his strength should be suffi- cient to hold, support, and assist the horse, otherwise the horse will exhaust his wind. If he is necessitated to pull him together by raising his hands, or throwing his weight out of centre, these checks produce an ad- ditional stress on the hocks or loins, which must ON THE EACING SYSTEM. 37 must tend to weaken or exhaust ; and, if it is a close match, it is possible the heat might be lost by the riding. Therefore, that the horse may have every fair advan- tage, the rider should be strong enough to hold him without raising his hands, which might put the horse's head out of place, and though it were but an inch, this would be unpleasant and detrimental to him . — Next, his judgment should be able to dis- cover, how the horse gallops with the greatest ease to himself, and this is a ma- terial thing to know, for no horse can be made the most of, that is put out of his usual method of canying himself; this being known or discovered, should be submitted to; what I mean by his usual method of carrying himself is, if he carries his head lower than is pleasant to the rider, if he is accustomed to bear more on one rein than the other, or has a favourite leg, for this is not the time to dispute or quarrel, you must find his favourite manner and comply with it. D 3 The 38 ON THE RACING SYSTEM. The next consideration is, to start your horse coolly and temperately. If you flur- ry him at starting, his own eagerness will be very detrimental; thereibre, endeavour to keep. him moderate, that his gallop may be smooth and steady. You must give him all the support he requires from the hand in a smooth steady pull, and not increase it, unless his eagerness to get on necessitates you to do it ; in which case, you must in- crease your pull, with the same steadiness as before, which will hold him and save his wind ; but if you raise your hand to keep him in, you will raise his head out of place, which will put him to the fret, and he will be fighting for the ascendency of the hand. If you are necessitated to this, to prevent the horse from running away with you, your strength' is not competent for such horse ; nor must you throw your body out of centre, nor plant your feet forward to increase your pull without raising your hands. ON THE RACING SYSTEM. 39 hands : these operate to the disadvantage of the horse, 111 situations where you are to push and do your utmost, you must assist the horse's efforts with the greatest exactness and judg- ment, without depriving the horse of the requisite support, your hand must permit him to extend himself to the utmost and assist him in collecting himself together. This is done hy permitting the horse to draw your hand fi-om your body, to favour his extension, and as he collects himself the hand returns to the body, and assists him in collectino; his haunches under him. •& This action of the hands, must be done with the nicest judgment, otherwise you would abandon, deceive, deter, and pre- vent, rather than assist the horse's exertion. Be mindful, thpreibre, that the hand does not move till the extension of the horse re- moves it ; and, during this removal, that the hand affords the same support that the D 4 horse 40 ON THE RACING SYSTEM. horse requires. When the horse gathers himself together, the reins would be slack if the hand was not to return back again, and the horse would not be able to bring his legs so close, as by the assistance of the rider's support he would be enabled to do. Therefore, as the horse gathers himself, the hand must return, j^ielding him that sup- port which assists the haunches coming for- ward. This skill of the rider is mostly displayed at the running in. Over-eagerness of the rider, flurr\^ or the like, may sometimes take place with young jockies. I therefore caution gentlemen who choose to ride their own matches among tht?mselves, to be col- lected at this time ; for, if it is a near match their winning or losing depends on the riding. The over-doing or under-doing their part is equally detrimental. P'or, were you to yield your hand too much, you abandon your horse ; and, in gathering him together, if 5^ou over-do your part, you check his next extension : hence, a steady support must be given. ON THE RACING SYSTEM. 41 given, which, at this crisis, must be neither more nor less than the horse requires. Now let me explain the consequence of either. First, if you do not sufficientij^ support the horse, the consequence is, the horse dare not extend himself so far as he could under a confident support of the hand, because that support is a great assistance in gathering him.self together ; but the eager- ness of the horse will make him extend himself as far as he can safely, independant of the hand, and the labour and exertion of gathering himself) without support from the hand, exhausts his wind and strength, and the horse is said to be blown. There- fore it is necessary that the rider's strength should hold out equal with that of the horse, since the one depends so much on the other. On the other hand, the support the hand is to afford, is to be no more than what the horse takes ; for the hand is not to dictate to the horse at what rate he is to pull; if the horse 42 ON THE RACING SYSTEM. horse rides cool and steady, he will take a support equal to the rate or extension he is at ; but, if hot and eager, he will require a greater support to restrain him from over- running and exhausting himself, and the hand must give that support to prevent such consequences ; but at the push or run- ning in for the heat, j^ou must give him the libert}^ to exert his utmost, and so much support, and no more than will enable him to do it — if you give him more you restrain him — if 30U give him less, he cannot confi- dently throw himself out. If, in endeavouring to assist the horse, you pull him too much together, you check him, particularly if your horse is nearly spent ; when you fmd the horse done pull- ing, it is time you had done running, for he is then exhausted, and must lose if the others are not in the same state. If 30U find your horse strong, and close pushed at running in, the apjjlication of the whip, given at the instant, before he takes his stroke, may draw an additional spring or two ON THE RACING SYSTEM. 43 two from him, and give you some assist- ance ; but the whip or spurs, at other times, is of httle service ; the emulation and eagerness of horses will cany them beyond what they can hold, and the whip or spurs discourages if too much, or injudi- ciously applied. You will observe in the hunting and racing systems of riding, that pressing the feet in the stirrups to increase j^our pull, is not allowable if it can be avoided, but particularly in racing, for you must there- by considerably increase j^our weight or pressure on the saddle ; and, though it is called riding in the stirrups, when you ride properly, the stirrups sustain a very incon- siderable weight, and when the horse is extended and pulls fair, you may ride in the same position without the stirrups, and the grasp with the knees, and the pull of the horse, will keep your position steady. Having 44 ON THE RACING SYSTEM. Having pointed out what operates to the advantage and disadvantage of the horse's speed, the rest must be left to practice, which is to perfect ever}^ science; but without studying tlieory, practitioners we find are very hable to run into error. ON 45 ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH, Every man has some favourite pursuit ; some cultivate at a vast expense tulips and carnations, some collect butterflies and in- sects, some minerals and fossils, and others, fond of antiquit}^, will search after old bat- tered and cankered pieces of coin. It is difficult to account for this diversity in hu- man pursuits. Philosophers may find the origin of it, perhaps, in the various ener- gies of the several elements which compose our frame. Arise from whence it may, horsemanship appears to me such a rational amusement, as would, to a certain degree, universally prevail, if every one had the means and opportunities of riding a horse. But, as in other pursuits, we find diffe- rent opinions and opposite tastes in riding, and probably from the same constitutional causes. 46 ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH. causes, the same diversity may likewise be expected. Some few are admirers of the manege, others prefer the recreation of a steady safe horse on the road; some are fond of a choleric, spirited horse to display their courage, and others of a choice hunter to lead the field ; some have a rage for racing, and others for fast trotting. The rage for fast trotters, I am glad to fmd nearly, or altogether, abated among gentlemen; for surely nothing could be more destructive to horse-flesh. A four-mile course on the turf, requires seven or eight minutes exertion of the horse; but a trotter's exertion is called upon for an hour, and sometimes two hours, on a hot gravelly road, enough to shake him to pieces. I should be glad to say humanity layed it aside, but I believe the knavery which is out of the power of gentlemen to guard against in this species of sporting, has prin- cipally contributed to that end. Neverthe- less, if money cannot be safely ventured on 3 trotting- ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH", 4? trotting-matches, there will always be ad- mirers of fast trotters, and without an oc- casional trial for a mile or two against an- other horse, they might as well be without them; therefore the method of riding a trot- ter to advantage, I thought would be ac- ceptable to some of my readers. The method of riding a trotter is to sit as close down to the saddle as possible; by which I mean, 5^ou are not to rise in the stirrups, nor stand in them, but taking a deep hold with the muscles of the thighs, sit as close and still as the action of the horse will permit, and the faster he goes, the less 3^ou will fmd your seat disturbed. The stirrup must not be too short, for you are never to bear more than the weight of your toe in them, and the rapidit}^ of the horse going forward will give your body a little backward inclination, and your legs a little forward; for you must be mindful not to bring j^our legs near him, lest it should bring the haunches forward, which might cause him to gallop. The 48 ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH. The next consideration is, to know the manner and trim of the horse ; for, since horses contract habits as well as men, at such times as you want their utmost exer- tions they must not be put out of them. Therefore, a man will ride a trotter to better advantage after he has been used to him, than he will the first time : accommodating yourself to the horse's manner, you sit still, and give him whatever aid or support he re- quires, carrying your hands low, you en- courage him to extend himself to the ut- most, and your judgment is to discover when he over-rates himself so much as will, if not prevented, certainly cause him to gallop. This requires some skill, for otherwise you would be sure to make him gallop ; to prevent him, j^ou must increase your pull, but keep your hands down. - Were you to raise your hand one quarter of an inch to increase your power, you would cause the horse to gallop. If you find you have not sufficient strength, rather than raise your hand ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH. 49 hand, you may press your feet forward in the stirrups, to give effect to your pull ; but closing the legs, or raising the hand in this situation, would immediately cause him to gallop. A horse is as liable, nay, more likely to gallop at times, when he is not near at speed in the trot, as when he is at over-rate, and this is when the jockeys say he is not settled; that is, when his haunches are too much under him, and his over-eagerness to get on, will not slacken the haunches to give the shoulders the lead. These are aukward situations both for rider and horse, and they are rendered more so by the clattering of accompanying horses; the animation of the company en- creases the horse's eagerness, which quickens the haunches, already too forward, that it requires the greatest skill to prevent the horse from galloping, and more so to settle him to the trot. Were you to ease your hand to give the shoulders liberty, the for- wardness of the haunches would force the shoulders to gallop; if you pull at him, VOL. II, E vou 50 ON RIDING A TROn^ING-MATCir. you increase your disorder, by pulling liiin to- gether when he is already too much united, and risque his galloping ; it* you raise your hand, or close your legs, he is sure to gallop. You have, therefore, to act with the greatest caution and delicacy, by keeping youf hands down, and preventing the propensity of the shoulders to lift into the gallop ; you must not be angry or impatient because your nerves would be thereby affected, which communicates to the horse, and he becomes more impatient, which prevents him from disuniting and extending himself; but if you are patient and cool, the restric- tion of the hand mild and soft, the horse will soon slacken his haunches, drop his head, and extend himself. This done, you must be careful that no unsteadiness in your hand or seat creates the disorder again. The ge- neralit}^ of trotters, when they extend them- selves, or as they term it, settle to it, take a steady support from the hand ; this must be permitted, and the hand kept firm and still, that the horse may have a dependence on it. He will frcfjuently reti^esh his mouth. ON RIDING A TROTTING MATCH. ol mouth, by yielding his nose, or moving his head, and then take a support again ; what- ever is accommodating to him may be al- lowed, so that it has not a tendency to make him lift before or behind, gallop, or abate his trot. When a horse is true on his legs, you may encourage and urge him to do his best, but if he over-rates himself (which you will feel and know by practice) he must fall, or gallop to prevent it ; unless the rider, at the instant he perceives it, saves and pre- vents him, by the method I have before re- lated. When a horse's powers are unequally distributed, which happens from different causes ; from nature, when the hind quarters iiave greater liberty than the fore, or the fore than the hind ; from habit, by bad rid- ing, when a horse is suffered to trot before and gallop behind, or gallop before and trot behind, they are then apt to lift or hitch when pressed or tired. You cannot in these situations urge them on, for fear of making a complete galJop of it ; and the lifting and hitching are liable to dispute, the one party denying it to be a trot, the other persisting £ 2 he 52 ON RIDING A TROTTING MATCH. he did not gallop. In these situations, cool and patient endeavours will effect your purpose, and get your horse tme in his trot, preferable to any other measures. You must not flurry a horse on any account, for that will surely unsettle him, and when settled, your seat must be as steady as pos- sible, and your hand kept down, and atten- tive to correct every propensity to lift, hitch, over-rate, gallop, and the like. And when- ever you feel these propensities, you must check them with the greatest nicety; for these checks certainly retard the horse's speed, consequently you must apply no more than just sufficient to prevent his gal- loping. Therefore all the operations of the hand must be low, to keep the horse down, as they term it. From these remarks, a person by practice may the sooner acquire the art; but re- member, a person must be a good rider to ride a match, whether galloping, or trotting, to the best advantage ; and to ride well requires practice, for the theory is only the ON RIDING A TROTTING-MATCH. 53 the knowing how it should be done, and may want the abihty to do it ; but knowing the theory will certainly assist your prac- tice. e3 on 5A ON THE SEAT JVHEN LEAPING. I NOW come to a part which is very in- teresting to young gentlemen who are fond of displaying their horse's abihties, and their own courage, but too fiequently their rash- ness. I should call it rashness in me, who can sit a horse over any height or distance he can cover, to ride one over a rail, bar, or gate, were I not well assured of his steady and safe manner of leaping ; and it is equal rash- ness in a person who has not the knowledge how to sit and support a horse over a leap, (be the horse ever so steady and safe a leaper) because the unskilful rider is not only in danger of being thrown, but like- wise of baulking the horse, making him blunder, pulling him into his leap, and the like, which I shall clearly explain here- after. Leaps ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. 53 Leaps are taken standing or flying : the first is most difficult to sit, though ahvays practised first, because the slow and steady leaping of a proper-broke horse, gives the rider time and recollection, and the master standing by the side can direct, and prevent accidents. I have observed, that stirrups are no se- curity to the seat in any situation on horse- back, and those who cannot forbear pressing a weight in them, had better, when learning to leap, have none. I dont say but many gentlemen leap entirely by the help of their stirrups, but they leap very badl}', and some- times with great difficult}^ save tbemselves from coming to the ground — and when a horse makes a rough or aukward leap, they generally do fall. But I call any disturb- ance to your seat, whether you are thrown up from the saddle, or your body falls for- ward, or you get out of bajance, equally as disgraceful as falling to the ground. For a person should sit so close as to carry a shil- ling under each thigh, just above the knee, E 4 one 5d ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. one in each stirrup under each toe, and one under his breech, and this, when practised on steady leaping horses, should seldom fail. The position of the horseman when leap- ing, changes as the horse changes his posi- tion; for instance, when the horse is brought to the bar, your body is upright, exactly in the position as has been taught ; your legs are to be applied, as I have before noticed upon these occasions, to the horse's side, with such firmness as is to keep you down to the saddle, and in such place as the ac- tion of your own body shall not loosen or disturb them. The place of the legs, there- fore, must be perpendicular from the knee ; if you place them backwarder, the action which the body must take, would loosen them, and then you have no hold ; for your thighs, unless you are very long, and your horse very narrow, will be loose when the body is thrown back. The toe must be pulled up, to make your muscles firm, and prevent the spur from approaching too near the horse. If ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. 5? If you find it necessary, you may turn your toes out a little to strengthen your hold, if you have stirrups, bear no weight in them, (when you practise to carry shillings over, you should bear no more than just sufficient to keep the shilling there,) keep your hand in the centre, and quite low, your reins not too short, but just by the pressure of your fingers to feel the horse's mouth. In this position you come to the bar, the pressure of your legs and the pressure of your fingers will invite the horse to rise, and as he rises your body comes forward, and preserves it perpendicular. Be sure to keep your back in, and your head firm. At the instant the horse takes his spring from his hind legs, you slip your buttock under you, and let your body go freely back, keeping your hands down, legs close, and body back, till the horse's hind legs have come to the ground. Now I shall explain the consequences of omitting any of these precepts, without which, perhaps, you will not think them indispensably 58 ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. indispensably necessary. The application of the les^s to hold you firm to the soddle carries conviction with it; bijt while your body is upright, you will find a faster hold with your legs, when placed a little back- warder than I have directed, and you might therefore be induced to place them too back- ward ; but you will perceive the improprie- ty of it if you lean the body quite back, for you can then only have a firm hold with your legs, where I have directed them to be placed. What was directed for the toe was ex- plained, I therefore come to the stirrups. It is evident, Avhen any action of the horse tends to lift you from the saddle, that stir- rups cannot keep you down ; nothing but the gravity of the body presses to the saddle, the pressure of the thighs holds it down ; and when the action is so violent that the hold with the thighs is not sufficient, then the legs are applied, which is a deeper and stronger hold. But bearing in the stirrup must operate to the lifting you from the saddle. ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. 59 saddle, and loosen any hold you may take with the thighs or legs. Hence, if you take notice, those who bear in the stirrups when leaping, are thrown high from the saddle, and the use they make of the stirrups is to catch them on their return ; they plant their legs forward to keep them from being thrown upon the horse's neck, and if they keep the body back, the reins hold them from tumbling backward; but a rough or irregular leap so disconcerts the best prac- titioners in this way, that if they dont come to the ground, they are thrown out of their seat, and scramble into it as they can. • The hand must he kept low, ^^c. This is an essential thing to mind, and I shall explain every consequence of its not being attended to. The hand is principally raised from fear ; 'tis done with the intention of holding on by the bridle, or making the horse rise before. The apprehension of some of my pupils, that the horse should not dear his fore legs, has been so great, Uiat having hold of their hand, I could hardly 60 ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. hardly keep it down. The consequence is, that vou raise the horse's head and nose out of place, which straightens his neck, in which position he cannot gather himself to rise, till he has dropt his nose and curved his neck, which your hand will not suffer him in that situation to do. Nevertheless, persons not sensible of the impropriety, nor aware of the danger, urge the horse to leap, and the horse, if j^ou w ill not let him leap as he should, must leap as he can ; the conse- quence is, that he makes an awkward short leap of all four together, which is dange- rous, and exceeding unpleasant both to horse and man. I do not mean to infer, when a horse leaps in this manner, it is always the fault of the rider; horses not in the practice of leap- ing, who are untaught, or ill made for leap- ing, will do so with the best riders ; but horses who have been taught, and practised to leap properly, are frequently compelled to leap thus awkwardly from the unskilful- ness of the rider. When horses feel this restraint ON THE SEAT AVHEN LEAPING. 61 restraint from the rider's hand, many will refuse to leap, and it is well they do, for they prevent the risque of their own and rider's neck. So far I have considered the baulk and impediment to the horse, now for the ten- dency it has to displace the rider. The hand raised in this situation prevents the body from going back; for, were the body thrown back as I have directed, you must check j^our horse, and prevent him from covering his leap. This the horse is very sensible of (and no uncommon thing either, for the horse to be more sensible of the two) : therefore, he prepares himself to force the hand. The consequence is, your body is pulled forward, and the shock you receive when the horse meets the ground, tumbles you on his neck, if not completely off. Now, to convince yourself of the truth of this theory, as your horse stands still, place your hand low, and lean your body back, and 3'OU will fmd yoti can do it, without giving 62 ox THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. giving the horse any great disturbance, but onl}^ a proper support ; nor is it possible for him to force your body fonvard. On the contrary, without altering the length of your reins, raise your hand and lean your body back ; and you will fmd your body cannot go back without checking your horse; so that the hand, in this situation, must be forced by the horse or the horse cannot co- ver his leap. The body comes forward to prese7xe its perpendicular, ^^c. Were the body to hang back as the horse raises be- fore,* the weight of your body would hang on his mouth, and prevent his leaping at least, if it did not pull him backwards over. The hack hollow : were the body to be brought forward, with a round back and round shoulders, it would not be in a situa- tion to get back in time, without much exertion of the rider ; but if the back is hollow, when the horse springs forward, it will, of itself; fall backward if the hand is not raised to prevent it. If the head is loose, I have known the action of the body 4 to ON THE SEAT WHEN LEAPING. 63 to cause a small wrench of the neck, or occasion some to bite their tongue ; sli|> ping j^our breech or buttocks under you, gives the body more liberty to lean back ; and without the body is well back, the shock, when the horse's feet meet the ground, will shake it forward, whereby you not only deprive the horse of the support, which at this time he should have from the hand, but are in danger of falling. If you recover your right position, or take your legs from their situation before the leap is completed, you will be liable to disorder, loss of balance, and the like. This is the principle by which the seat Is maintained in all violent exertions of the horse; some few remarks may be further necessary in particular situations, which 1 shall notice. ON 64 ON LEAPING FLYING, The seat, in a flying leap, is exactly the same as in the standing ; but easier to sit, because, the horse's body keeps a more ho- rizontal position ; and if it is a leap of in- considerable height, it appears no more than a springing stroke in the gallop. From this consideration, the rider has no occasion to bring his body forward at the raising the fore-legs, for the spring from the hind-legs immediately follows, and the body might not get back in time. Therefore, keep your body upright, take hold with your legs, be sure to keep your hand down, and, as the horse springs forward, your body is sure to take the corresponding action of leaning- back ; particularly if you, at the instant, slip your breech under you, and bring your waist forward with an exertion proportioned to ON LEAPING FLYING 65 to the spring the horse makes. Bring not your body iij3right, nor slacken the hold with your legs, till after the hind feet have come to the ground. It is dangerous to let the body have a propensity to come for- ward at the raising the fore -feet, for some- times a horse does not come fair, or Avill re- fuse to take his leap, and check himself; in which case, if the body is forward, you may tumble over his head. The pace you should go, at a fl3ang-leap, must always be moderate. You must never flurry the horse with a view of making him take a determined spring. By so doing you will often deter him from taking his proper distance, and make him leap at hap-hazard, right or wrong, to the great danger of your own neck. If a horse leaps willingly, let him take his own pace to it, and he will be sure to spring from his proper distance, and give himself that velocity that will assist his spring. For instance, twelve yards from the leap, turn your horse to it in a trot, he will strike into the gallop, and a stroke or VOL. II. F two 6() ON LEAPING FLYING. two before he springs, will increase his ve- locity, if he perceives that the height he has to cover requires that exertion. If a horse is indolent and careless, and you think he requires some animation, I would rather advise the application of the spurs to rouse his apathy just before you turn his head toward the leap, than while he is running at it. A horse requires but little support or as- sistance from the hand till he is over his leap, or coming to the ground ; then the support of the hand is proper and assists to bring the body upright : the assisting and lifting a horse over leaps, may be done by old practitioners, but the attempt- ing it by young ones is improper ; they can- not judge when, and in the attempt would, most likely, baulk rather than assist. It can only be done when a horse leaps free and determined; at other times the offer to as- sist would deter him from the leap. MAIN- 67 MAINTAINING THE SEAT IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS. When a horse is addicted to rearing, kicking, bolting, plunging, and the hke, the seat is maintained in like manner as in leaps; but the operation of the hands is to prevent, deter, and disarm him as much as possible ; for this purpose, your arms are held firm to the body, your reins separated, and your hands kept up. The hands, thus fixed, is not to pull at the horse, if he does not at- tempt to force your hand and get his head, but give him the libert}^ to go forward, though not to get his head down, which would enable him to kick with such violence, as to throw himself down ; but confining the head up disarms him from kicking so violent as to endanger his throwing himself or you down, and he makes a bolt from all fours, which is springing forward something like the awkward leap a horse makes when you confine his head to a standing leap, but not quite so rough ; for, there being no bar F 2 or 68 MAINTAINING THE SEAT or gate in the way, the horse is not necessi- tated to jump so perpendicularly, but springs forward with intent to force himself out of your hands, and spring from under you. When you feel the horse disposed to play these tricks, you consequently prepare yourself for the encounter, by separating the reins, &c. Now, the body must be kept upright, but very flexible, accompany- ing every action of the horse to be ready to repel every effort he ma}^ make ; j^our ba- lance is nicely preserved by the muscles of the thighs, and the legs kept near the horse, but not to grasp till you feel the necessit}^ for the horse is in alternate motion with his fore and hind legs, and you know not whether he will rear before, or kick behind ; your body, therefore, should accompany the ac- tion of his legs, thus — when he lifts his fore legs, your breech must be thrust out be- hind, by which you are prepared if he rears, as the fore-feet come to the ground, j^ou slip the buttocks under, which prepares you for his kicking or springing forward ; if either takes place, your legs are in a situation at 4 the IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS. 69 the instant to grasp, and keeping a firm hold with your hands, you support the horse from faUing, and keep a proper restraint upon him. Every horse has his pecuhar mode of defence ; some rear, some kick, some turn short to one hand, some on the other, some defend themselves only by re- fusing to do every thing you require them to do, and others will only contend when they think they have the advantage of situa- tion. The ingenuity of man could not devise more means, than the horse does to foil his rider. And though this subject properly be- longs to horse-breaking, yet, as gentlemen have horses occasionally, that shew a dispo- sition to be restive, it is proper they should, at least, know how to protect themselves from injury. I shall, therefore, continue this subject so far as I think necessary to their safety. Of all the defences a horse makes, that of rearing is the most dangerous, when they rise rapidly and so unexpectedly, as you F 3 are 70 MAINTAINING THE SEAT are scarcely aware of them, and so high as to endanger their falhng backwards ; it is fortunate a horse that rears to this extreme, seldom or never kicks ; you have, therefore, principally to guard against the rearing, and, when he takes you unawares, your body must come forward close to his neck, and your hands forward, on each side even to clasp him round the neck, if you find it necessary. To break horses of this dangerous vice, I have been in situations where I found it expedient to quit the horse, and alighting on my feet, have pulled the horse backwards; but these, though eifective expedients, are only to be attempted at a particular crisis, and by persons perfectly collected, active, and agile. It so frightens a horse to be thus foiled, that he is wary of giving you the opportunity of sening him so again. I do not recommend gentlemen to attempt it; but, whenever you are aware of the horse's disposition to rear, have your reins sepa- rated and be prepared for him, and the in- stant you perceive him going to rise, slack 3 the IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS. 71 the one hand, and bend him with the other, keeping your hand low. This bending com- pels him to move a hind leg, and being thrown off his balance, he of necessity comes down. Twist him round two or three times, to convince him of" your superiority. It likewise confuses and baffles him. By these means you may deter a horse from rearing to any dangerous height ; and, after he has convinced himself by a few experiments, he will give it up for that time. Every horse has a favourite side, on which he is prepared for defence ; j^our at- tack must, consequently, be on his weak or unprepared side. Not only in this, but in every other instance. A horse that is addicted to kick high, seldom or never rears high, unless the tirmness of your hand compels him to it. If j^our hand confmes the head, as has been directed, you may bid defiance to his kicking ; and, when a horse finds his defences do not avail, he wisely gives it over; but the twisting a F 4 horse 72 MAINTAINING THE SEAT horse round a few times for this vice will have its effect; if you seize a favourable op- portunity to attack his feeble side, and have the advantage to twist him without his power of resistance, his astonishment and confusion will deter him from farther con- tention, unless you provoke it by ill-timed correction, passion, exultation and the like. Whatever passion possesses the rider, whe- ther anger, revenge, cruelty, Sec. it has the same effect on the horse's mind, as it would on ours, and prevents that concord and unity taking place, which ever should sub- sist between the rider and the horse. There- fore, the rider who should be the most ra- tional being must always be disposed to amity, and should never suffer the most obstinate resistance of the horse, to put him out of temper. If the contest does not de- mand his utmost exertions of strength, he should be able to hum a tune, or converse with the same composure and indifference as though the horse was all obedience ; by this means, the instant a horse finds him- self IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS. 73 self foiled, he desists, having no provocation to contend farther, and is abashed at his own weakness. What is termed plunging is seldom at- tempted but at their first backing or break- ing ; and then, by some horses to a most violent degree. It is so exhausting to the horse, that if he fails in throwing the rider, bursting his girths, or breaking any of his tackle, he soon gives it over. But, if he succeeds he is encouraged to try again. Till horses are broke of this, they are not rideable without proper assistance. You, therefore, seldom see horses that people venture to ride loose, make very desperate plunges. When a horse plunges, he gets his head down, cringes his tail between his quarters, sets up his back, swells his body to try to burst his girths ; and, in this po- sition, he kicks and plunges till he can hold his wind no longer. He holds his breath all the time, consequently, when he makes six or eight plunges he is done ; his breath can hold no longer. To 74 MAINTAINING THE SEAT To sit these plunges, is to cure them; three daj^s' trial, of which the first is general- ly the most violent, decides the contest. Success in their endeavours, or improper treatment, may provoke farther attempts, but otherwise, the contest is given up, and it is fortunate that not one horse in fifty, with proper treatment, is given to plunge, violently. To sit a horse when he plunges you must take a firm hold with your legs, and be mindful that in getting his head down, he does not pull jour body forward. You are under no danger of his rearing. And, therefore, have only to keep your body back and hold firmly with youT hands, to prevent him throwing himself down, which is not unlikely, if begets his head en- tirely loose. The next danger that gentlemen are ex- posed to is, w hen a horse, either by shy- ing or restiveness, springs to one side, or turns short round. Their security, in these situations, depends on a strict conformity to the rules I have laid down, and the state of their IN CRITICAL SITUATIONS. 75 their nerves. Where the nerves are weak and debihtated, T can prescribe nothing bet- ter than a steady, safe horse, with moderate exercise and air every daj^, to repair and strengthen them. But, to young and robust habits, if they observe the precepts of not bearing in the stirrups, keeping the legs near to the horse to be read}^ on those sudden and unexpected occasions to la\' hold, and yiekhng their body to go with the horse, they will be safe. As a further assistance, let the eye be in- stantl}^ directed to the horse's ears, and the body will go with them; but if the eye is directed to what the horse shys from, you will lose your balance. For the probable causes of horses shying, and the method of treating them, I shall refer you to the part where it will be treated on, and proceed to explain how you are to protect yourself from danger, when j^ou have the misfortune to be on a restive horse. r>E- 76 DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. Restiveness in horses proceeds from a bad disposition or temper, which obstinately re- fuses obedience, where he finds the rider has not sufficient skill or address to compel him; and I believe there would be fewer restive horses, if the persons first employed to break them, knew the method of foiling- their de- fences, for want of which, the horse is too frequently successful ; which encourages him to repeated and more determined trials, and the oftener he succeeds the more he is con- firmed in the vice. Horses of this disposi- tion are exceeding subtle, and watch their opportunity. They first, as it were, feel for your firmness of seat and resolution; if they find your seat strong, and you determined, they wait their opportunity of situation where they can attack you to adAantage, and are sure to defend themselves on that point which they expect you will attack them. Now DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. 77 Now the great object of the rider in these contests, is to frustrate the horse's inten- tions, and protect himself from injury in the struggle. The horse commences his attack generally by stopping, turning short round, (mostly to the right hand) as taking the rider at the greatest disadvantage, because few men are so powerful with the left as the right hand, and the horse expects you will oppose the opposite hand to which he turns, to pre- vent him : he therefore designedly attacks your weakest hand, and is so prepared to defend against your utmost efforts, that it is vain to attempt it. But, instead of attempt- ing to prevent him with your left hand, at- tack him rather with your right, and turn him completely round, so that his head is presented the way you was going. And here an application of the spurs may be tried, if it will compel him forward, but it seldom does. He generally turns round again, and you, in like manner, attacking his unguarded side, turn him two or tliree times, letting your heel and spur, if neces- sary, powerfully assist your hand, before he can 78 DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE* can arm or defend himself against it. Find- ing themselves baffled in the plot of their defence, some give it up, and go on ; others will make a more obstinate resistance, and since he refuses to go the way you want him, 5 ou must studiously prevent his going anv other : for which reason, fmdinsr him set himself against your endeavours to make him go forward, immediately change your attack, turn him about, and rein him back- ward. When a horse sets himself against going forward, he is easily compelled back- ward. Here his defence is again baffled, and this is ever to be your rule — never to contend with him on that point he is pre- pared to resist. In these contests you must be collected, and have an eye to the surrounding objects, that you may not put yourself in an awkward situation, which through inattention you may do, without the design of the horse; but it frequently happens that restive horses try their utmost to get you into these situa- tions, by sideling to other horses, carriages, walls, DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. 79 walls, rails, the foot pavement, the houses, &c. &c. Now it is so natural for persons to pull the horse from the object that he makes for, that we do not wonder to see it practised; but this gives a determined horse the completest opportunit}'^ of accomplishing his intention ; therefore, admitting it to be a wall, — a rid- ing-house is surrounded with wall, and a res^ tive horse would be always crushing your knee against it, if we had not the means to prevent him. Therefore, whenever we find the horse so disposed, instead of pulling him from the wall, we bend his head to the wall, by which the side of the horse next the wall is in a concave position, which pre- vents his utmost endeavours from doing you an injury. But in the streets, or on the roads, innu^ merable objects more dangerous than a wall, will present themselves, which you must be attentive not to come near. But the instant you apprehend or perceive him sideling to any object, 80 DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. object, turn bis bead to tbat object, and back him from it. By tbis means you protect yourself from injury, and foil bis intentions; consequenth^, after a fruitless contest, tbe horse is necessitated to submit. Tbe applica- tion of whip or spurs in these contests, more than to shift tbe croup, or give efficacy to your bands, are of so little use, tbat I dare not mention them, for correction injudi- ciously applied does great mischief; and many people's passions have no bounds when they begin, and, since I know a horse's vices can be subdued without it, I recom- mend no correction, rather than an immo- derate or ill-timed one ; for it is impossible for me here to specify the instant it should be given, or the severity I might adopt mj^self This must be left to tbe discretion of the rider, and discretion will seldom ap- ply the spurs sharply more than twice, or three times. I dont mean to infer, tbat cori'ection is never to be given ; some horses require it ; others tbat have not a vice belonging to them. DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE- 81 them^ are made desperate from injudicious punishment: the rider should have judgment to discover the temper and disposition of the horse, which is to determine, in a great measure, the nature and proportion of his punishment; but to repeat the spurs and whip, to make a horse go forward when he refuses, is certainly wrong. He must be immediately manoeuvred by the hands, by turning about and about, reining back, and. the like, till he finds his designs, whatever they were, frustrated; he will then, finding he can go no other, reluctantly go your wa}^ and when you present his head for that pur- pose, you may apply the spurs sharply, which is compelling him at last to obey the spurs, which he at first refused. A horse's defences in the above instances, in a manner defeat their own purpose, be- cause you immediately convert their defence to their punishment. But there are some few horses who fix themselves like stocks, setting all your endeavours at defiance to VOL, II. G move 82. DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. move them. There they set up a defence that can no way endanger your person; were thej^ to move, you could convert that to your purpose, but while they stand as stocks, they defy you to move them forvvard, backward, to right or left. This defence must also be converted to punishment : let them stand, and make no attempt to move them, and you will find in a short space, frequently less than a minute, they will move of themselves. If you have patience to sit on their backs, and keep them there for a time, it is the most proper punishment for the offence, and will surely cure that mode of defence. Though I haVe here set forth a method of manoeuvre, with little or no connection, I am sensible that many persons (if they possessed the skill) have not the patience to adopt it, but will let their passion overcome their reason, and the whip and spur will be rigorously applied. Some horses are of such an abject spirit, that they maj^ be beat out of DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. 83 of their sulks; others you are obhged to manoeuvre, and those riders that cannot keep their temper, apply the whip and spurs. Now the pulling and twisting a horse about, is what beats him, and when done with judgment soon overcomes, and se* cures your safet}^ But when injudiciously applied, the contest is generally longer, and the rider exposed to imminent danger. — Should he escape unhurt, and worry the horse out, he attributes his success to the resolute application of the whip and spurs, which, I am of opinion, too frequently pro- longs the contest. Nevertheless, the multi- tude are apt to mistake such temerity for skilful horsemanship, for they are eye wit- nesses of the resolution and courage of the rider, but are ignorant that the end might have been obtained by a more mild, certain, and safe method. For when the rider loses his temper, which a brutal application of the whip and spurs is a certain indication of, his thoughts are not collected, and his operations are without judgment; he provokes a more violent resistance, precipitates himself into G ^ dangerous 84 DEFEATING A RESTIVE HORSE. dangerous situations, (which, if he had been cool and collected, he might easily have avoided,) and the contest becomes immi- nently dangerous, and very doubtful ; and if no disaster happens to the rider, it ter- minates by consent of the horse in a re- spite for the present; he submits for the moment, that he may recover strength to renew the attack, for he does not seem to consider himself defeated. ON 85 ON LADIES' RIDING. The custom for ladies to ride becomes daily more and more prevalent. Thanks for this to our learned physicians, who have discovered that the exercise of riding is more salutary to the constitution of some of their fair patients, than any nostrums they can select from the whole catalogue of the Materia Medica, or any substitute which the ingenuity of man could contrive for their relief Hence, the chamber-horse, the swing, the skipping-rope, the dance, and numberless other exercises, calculated to promote circulation, are found inferior and very inadequate to riding. And all whose condition in life, afford them the means, are no longer restrained by the former pre- judices of " bold, masculine, and indelicate for ladies to ride;" but may enjoy a recrea- tion which exhilarates the spirits, invigorates G 3 the 86 ON LADIES' RIDING. the body, amuses the mind, gratifies the eye, and contributes so much to the fehcity of the gentlemen who are honoured with the care and attendance of our fair country- women in these salutary exercises. I think it incumbent on me who have had the op- portunity from attending numbers of ladies, and studying the principles I taught, to ex- plain and elucidate the precepts for ladies* riding; and, I believe, I may claim the honour of being the first that ever wrote on the ladies' system of riding, at least, I ne- ver met with any thing on that subject. The first consideration which occurs on this subject, is the horse, which is gene- rally left to the experience and judgment of some gentleman to provide; and, no doubt, whoever is entrusted with this com- mission, selects, agreeable to his ideas, a suitable one. But it requires a more than ordinary judgment of horses and riding, to suit a lady with a horse, and many under- take such a commission who are very un- equal to the task. The difficulty will ap- pear ON LADIES' RIDING. 87 pear obvious to the reader, when he is in- formed, that the constitution of the lady, the state of her nerves, the manner of her riding, &c. should be understood before the greatest proficient can ascertain what will be suitable and agreeable to the lady. If a horse possessed every quality requisite and desirable for a good horse-Avoman, a lady of a nervous habit or timid disposition, would be so alarmed at the sprightly action and delicate sensibility of the horse's mouth, that they could not forbear cringing; the cringing of their body, always to the near side, and also that of the hand, (for fear is sure to hold fast whatever it grasps) makes the horse restless and uncomforta- ble. No assurances or persuasions, assisted by all the philosophy the lady possesses, can wholly, at the instant, direst her of her fears ; and while she feels the least appre- hension, the hand will cringe, and the body be out of centre. This renders it very unplea- sant to a horse that gallops airy with his croup g4 in 88 ON LADIES' RIDING. in and haunches under, and prevents his going in his accustomed easy, free, and smooth manner; but though a horse of this description will not suit a middling or tiijiid rider, there are ladies that would esteem him in preference to any other. When ladies are timid, some gentlemen provide what they conceive a suitable horse for the lady, viz. a dull, dead, unmettled beast, which they term a steady quiet crea- ture ; but these are the most unsuitable, as they can only be made to go by active sprightly riders, who have lively hands^ and can use the whip smartly. This, few ladies like to do. Others conceive the horse they ride them- selves suitable for a lady, because he goes safe and has no vice. Many horses indeed haA^e these qualities, which are unfit for either gentlemen or ladies' riding, that know what horses should be; such, therefore, that pull at the hand (a qualitj^ which some gentlemen admire) would not be sufficients 5 ly ON LADIES' RIDING. 89 ly tractable, must render a lady very un- comfortable, and expose her to some dan- ger, though the horse with truth may be said to be one of the gentlest creatures in the world. I shall endeavour to describe, first, the essential qualities, and next the desirable. A lady's horse should be good-tempered, free, and willing, for a sluggish horse is the most unpleasant of any to a lady ; but he must be nowise choleric, restless, or impa- tient in company — he should be steady and safe on the road — smooth in all his paces; with these natural qualifications he must be suitably drest or broke for a lady's riding; that is, he must be properly sup- pled and united, particularl}^ to gallop with the right leg, the mouth made light and obedient. These are the essential proper- ties of a lady's horse. The desirable qualities of such a horse are infinite, and constitute his value. For he is rated in proportion as possessed of such 90 ON LADIES' RIDING. such qualities, as elegance of figure, powers, action, speed in the different paces, and the like. To describe these would fill a volume, and is a province I do not mean to enter upon, nor do I think it would be of any utility ; for persons, unexperienced in horses, are continually in search of a per- fect horse, and where they discern the most trifling defect, no consideration of other excellencies avail, and a farther knowledge would only deter them fi-om ever suiting themselves. Having thus considered the horse, the placing a lady on horseback with ease, and that her clothes may not bind, or be uncomfortable, requires some little practice ; which the following directions and obsep- vations may greatly assist. Let the assistant adjust the reins of the bit smooth, and of equal length, taking it up within the bridoon rein and dividing the reins with the fore-finger of his left hand ; the lady receives the reins from him with her ON LADIES' RIDING. Ql her right hand, just before the pommel of the saddle, the whip being in it, which pas- ses over to the off-side, putting her fore- finger between the reins, and gently letting them slip, not to disturb the horse, till her hand rests, and lays hold on the near crutch or pommel of the saddle, standing then close to the horse, upright, with the face half turned from the saddle ; the assistant places himself before her, and, where practice has been wanting to make either expert at this business, it will be best for the assistant to place both his hands together by the intersection of his fmgers. He then stoops to receive the lady's left foot, which must be placed full and hrm in them. The lady then places her left hand on his right shoulder, by which, and the hold she has on the pommel of the saddle, she steadies herself, while she bears all her weight on the assistant's hands, straightening the left knee and keeping it firm. The assistant now by raising himself^ raises the lady to the saddle, where she pauses, while the assistant places the stirrup on her left foot. 4 This 92 ON LADIES' RIDING. This done, she shifts her right hand from the near crutch of the pommel, to the off crutch of the pommel, and the assistant placing his right hand under the lady's left arm, by the support of which, and hold she has with her left hand, she will raise herself upright in the stirrup. The assist- ant now with his left hand draws the cloaths next the saddle forward, which done, the lady places her right knee over the pommel of the saddle, and then seats herself; by which mode, if properly attended to, you will find several inconveniences avoided, such as the binding of the cloaths under the right knee, the difficulty of raising the knee over the high pommels now in use, &c. ; should the cloaths want any adjustment be- hind, the lady with her left hand takes hold of the assistant's left hand, her right hand having hold of the pommel, and raising herself forward, the assistant at the instant with his right hand adjusts them smooth. Young ladies, after a few times ])ractice, become so alert, that the most trifling assist- ance ON LADIES' RIDING. 93 ance raises them to the saddle ; but others less active, or more fearful, have only to bear the whole weight in the assistant's hand as directed, and the assistant must not at- tempt to raise them till the right foot has quitted the ground, and the left knee nearly straight ; otherwise he will prevent the lady from raising herself in his hand. Should the lady be heavy or inactive, the more particular care is requisite in both, on the lady's part, that she bears her weight centrically, and perpendicularly in the hands, not putting her foot forward as she raises it, by which she would shove the person from her, and the assistant must be careful to place himself in such manner, that the lady ma}^ be between him and the saddle; his face directed so that he can stoop to assist the lad}^, without removing himself to a distance, for the closer he stands, the greater his power to assist. Pinning the cloaths to prevent them ris- ing 04 ON LADIES' RIDING. ing uncomfortably, has a degree of skill at-* tached to it, and is worthy the remark of those who have the assisting of ladies. The cloaths being properly adjusted as above de- scribed, a pin is placed under the right foot, at the narrow part next the heel ; but care must be taken first to pull down and adj ust the under cloaths in such a manner, that the pin may confine the underside as well as the outside, in like manner as it does the skirt of the habit, or the lady in a short time w ill find them rise very uncomfortably. Should the lady wish to have the skirt pinned snug, which somewhat prevents the cloaths rising behind, or holding so much wind in boiste- rous weather, take hold of the bottom of the skirt, extending it as far behind as it will reach with the right hand, the leit hand in hke manneradjusts the coat, then the lefthand marking the fold, having hold of the under part of the skirt, the right hand smoothly folds the garments under, bringing the ful- ness of the skirt to be pinned before the left leg, below the knee^ Holding them in that situation ON LADIES' RIDING. 95 situation underneath with the left hand, while you pin them with the right through all the garments ; suitable pins should be provided for the purpose, long enough to pass several times through the garments. Precision in these particulars needs no apology, to ladies who have experienced the inconvenience of having them pinned by persons not much acquainted with it ; others may think I have been tediously particular; but be it remembered, though some persons are fertile and ingenious of invention to effect their designs, others are slow of con- ception, and destitute of contrivance — such want every assistance to accomplish handily the adjustment of a lady on horseback. When ladies become expert horsewomen, they can adjust their cloaths when they be- come uncomfortable by riding, without as- sistance, consequently are not so necessitated to have their cloaths pinned. This they can do when riding at an}^ pace, or standing still, at their pleasure. The method of doing 96 ON LADIES' RIDING. doing it, is to take the reins in the right hand as directed, when mounting, hold- ing by the off crutch, or pommel of the saddle, and raising yourself up; the action of the horse, if moving, will then conside- rabh^ assist you. With your left hand, each time jrou rise, pull and shake your cloaths down, and endeavour to raise yourself as high as j^ou can for that purpose. When the cloaths rise before, it may be necessary to remove the knee from the pommel ; this fewiadies choose to do (nor is it advisable, but when the horse stands still, or is only in a slow walk,) you then, having hold as be- fore, and leaning the body back — but raising yourself upright in the stirrup is best — you remove your knee, and thus standing, let the garments fall down by a momentary shifting of any part that presses them to the saddle, which done, place your knee again, and seat yourself Pouches in the skirts of the habit, with leads in them, are very convenient; the habit flows more graceful than when pinned, and the coats may be pinned under the skirt, if the lady prefers it. Ladies ON LADIES' RIDING. 97 Ladies dismount their horses with or with- out assistance occasionally; they then first shift the reins to the right hand, and apply it to the off crutch of the saddle, then dis- place any pins that were employed in the habit ; the gentleman will officiate in this, if present, likewise of clearing the lady's cloaths from the pommel of the saddle, as the lady raises her knee over ; then taking the stirrup from the foot, the lady shifts her right hand to the near crutch of the pom- mel. In whatever manner the lady may choose to dismount, it is necessary at this juncture to be particularly careful that every pin is clear, and the cloaths off the pommel of the saddle, and the stirrup free of any en- tanglement. If the lady is alert and active, she may dismount very gracefully by giving her left hand into the gentleman's left hand, and springing just sufficient to clear the saddle, $he will alight on the balls of the feet, with VOL. II. H the 98 ON LADIES' RIDING. the knees a little bent, so as to drop a small curtsey, which will prevent any jar, which might otherwise take place. The gentle- man must have his right hand read}^ to ap- ply under the lady's left arm, as she alights, with which he not only lightens her down, but prevents any accident that might occur by the lady's foot alighting on any thing that might occasion her to slip. Should the lady not choose to spring in this manner from the horse, she will lean forward, and the gentleman will receive her with a hand under each arm, and lighten her to the gi'ound. When the lady dismounts without help, after clearing her stirrup, and every thing as above described, she will turn her- self to the right in such manner, that she may lay hold with her left hand, of a large lock of the horse's mane, keeping hold at the same time of the near side of the pom- mel ; then springing from the horse to clear her cloaths, she w ill alight on the balls of her feet, with her knees a little bent for the purpose ON LADIES' RIDING. 99 purpose as before directed, and her face to the horse's withers, keeping fast hold with both hands till she is firm and secure on her feet. The position our British ladies ride in, seems to be adopted for delicacy more than securitj^ Foreign ladies ride astride like gentlemen, but though their seat may not be sufficiently strong to contend with vio- lent plunging horses, I can assure them it is perfectly secure to ride such horses as are proper they should be put on, or to leap any horse that practice has taught to leap aright. And to the honour of the ladies be it spoken, I have ever found less difficulty in teaching them than gentlemen, and in general as little apprehensive at their commencing. The reasons I assign for this, are, that their balance is better pre- served by the pommel of the saddle, than the gentlemen are at their first riding, even with the stirrups, which they are sure to make an improper use of The care taken during infanc}^ that they should carry them- H 2 selves 100 ON LADIES' RIDING. selves upright, and let their shoulders and! arms fall in a becoming and graceful manner, relieves the riding-master of much concern in that particular; then, the delicacy of their texture makes them less prone to hold hard by the bridle, by which they sooner acquire a proper correspondence with the mouth, and that effective operation of the hand which governs by the lightest touch. To describe the ladies' seat, I shall make three divisions, but different from those of the horseman. The first I shall mention, is the left leg entire, on the foot of which the stirrup is placed. This part is nearly, if not wholly, useles ; for though a stirrup is placed on the foot, the only use I know it to be of, is to ease the leg a little, which, for want of prac- tice, might ache by dangling and suspen- sion ; and I can assure the ladies the depri- vation of that limb, will be no detriment to their riding. Nevertheless, the keeping it steady in that position which it will natural- ON LADIES' RIDING. 101 ly assume, will be requisite for their ease, and the supj3ort of the two will brace the muscles, and contribute to effect such pur- pose ; but where ladies become great profi- cients in horsemanship, this leg may be em- ploj^ed to aid on the near side, and the whip on the off. The second I shall notice, is the right leg entire ; including the knee and breach, on which the weight principally rests, the knee over the pommel and the leg kept back, with the toe raised, grasps the pommel, and laying close to the fore flap of the saddle, which in the best sort is stuffed and quilted for the ease thereof, can take a very firm hold, and is the lady's principal support and dependance ; this part is stationary and im- moveable, varying onlj?^ the strength or ex- ertion of the muscles as the action of the horse or circumstances may require. The last is the body, from the seat up- wards, the position and properties of which H 3 are 10l2 ON LADIES' RIDIInG. are exactly the same as have been described for gentlemen, a repetition of which is need- less. I shall, therefore, only make such re- marks as may correct the erroneous propen- sities, and corroborate the facts. The body being upright, the weight must rest on the centre of the saddle, independant of the stirrup, and the body keep square to the front or head of the horse. When the lady sits too far over the saddle, she will neither be square to the front, nor upright, a circumstance that should be carefully avoided, as it causes her to lean to the near side, to the destruction of every property of the hands and aids of the body. On the other hand, the lady must be mindful not to bear any weight in the stir- rup, nor hang by the pommel, a circum- stance which must occur whenever she leans to, or slips from the centre to the near side ; which will, doubtless, render the horse very uncomfortable, and wring his back and withers. A greater apprehension of falling on the off side, than the near side, occasions these ON LADIES' RIDING. \03 these propensities ; and the following les- sons to correct such propensities or avoid contracting them, if ladies will forego the pleasure of riding till they have acquired a true halance and correct position, will he found the best. But the desire young prac- titioners have, in every science, to proceed to a new lesson before they are perfect in the old, frequently prevents their ever be- coming proficients, and, I believe, no art has more smattering professors than horse- manship. Riding in circle is preferable for ladies as well as gentlemen to acquire the balance ; and, as managing the horse cannot be ex- pected at the commencement, a rein must be affixed to a cavison, or tlie bridoon, and the attendant will direct the horse in circle, which should be one accustomed to the longe, as going more regular and stea- Ay. Practising without the stirf up, and endea- vouring to acquire a steady seat without any H 4 assistance 104 ON LADIES'' RIDING. assistance from the reins will be best ; for this purpose, sit upright and direct the eye and present the body to the horse's nose, which in the circle will be more or less bent with- in. Ladies should be practised first, and mostly to the right, to divest them of the natural propensity they generally ht^ve of leaning to the near side of the horse, begin- ning first with a walk, then a slow trot, and increasing the action, as the lady acquires firmness and freedom in the saddle. When the lady in a smart trot has ac- quired the freedom of leaning to the right, so that she can see the feet of the horse on the offside, there is reasonable appearance of her seat being correctly established. Oc- , casionally trying this, will discover the great and principal support the lady has from the right leg, which must then be kept back and pressed close to the fore flap of the sad- dle, a small shifting of the seat to the lefl, will be found a necessary proportion to that degree of inclination the body may take to the right, and the seat returning to the centre ON LADIES' RIDING. 105 centre as the body assumes an upright po- sition by the support of the right knee, shews the stirrup to be unnecessary, further than for the ease and support of the toe, or rising in the trot, but useless in point of security. After a lady has acquired a good seat in the longe, the theory and properties of the hand must be clearly ex[>lained, that she may be able to manage and govern the horse by the aids of the bod^^ which in no in- stance, differ from what has been described for gentlemen, and the lessons directed for the improvement of their hands, may, in like manner, be practised by ladies. The pressure of the whip on the off side, behind the girths, may be substituted for the gen- tlemen's right leg, for which purpose the whip must he carried with the lash down- ward ; at other times the whip may be diffe- rently carried, but never in such a manner, that the lash ma}^ touch or tickle the hind quarters or flank. The situation that gen- tlemen carry their whip and hand is equal- 106 ON LADIES' RIDING. ty proper for ladies, in addition to which, the ladies may occasionally carry their whip arm strait, hanging pendulous from the shoulder; the thumb turned outward will prevent the arm shaking, and the whip held in the manner you would a pen, with the lash downwards — this position is esteemed very graceful in a gentle trot or a slow gal- lop. When ladies, by theory and practice in the trot, can keep a proper correspondence with the mouth, and have acquired an effec- tive operation with the hand, it is proper for them to gallop. Not but most ladies (and gentlemen likewise) are put to the gal- lop before they have attained such proficien- cy. But then, if it is not through the ig- norance of the teacher, it is at the desire of the pupil ; and, when you have to teach adults, who pay you for attendance, the ob- ject of pleasing them, is as much your in- terest as teaching them. And this is one reason that so few make so little proficiency in riding. The ON LADIES' RIDING. 107 The instructions already given for gentle- men, are applicable to the ladies ; therefore, the same rules, without further explanation, must be observed — viz. thrust the rump out behind, raise the chest, keep the back hollow and the muscles firm; but not so much as to occasion too great a stiffness or fatigue of the muscles. In leaping the bar, the hand and body act in like manner as the gentleman's; a firm gripe with the right knee must be ob- served, but no stress to be put in the stir- rup. The rise in the trot is all that further apper- tains to ladies' riding, and this, certainly, is not so easily acquired by ladies, as gentle- men ; nevertheless, practice will soon over- come the difficulty. The observations I have made for gentle- men, on this subject, are necessary for la- dies to be acquainted with, I must therefore refer them to vol, i. p, 77, on the subject, and ]()3 ON LADIES' EIDING. and at the sentence of voiir brin"ingr your body a little forward, when the ac- tion of the horse raises you from the saddle, a greater portion of your weight will be re- ceived by the right knee, by which, and k light pressure with 3'our left foot you ease your return to the saddle. Ladies must be mindful in rising, that they do not twist their bodies, nor rise to the left side, a fault many are addicted to. To avoid such a practice, endeavour to keep the right shoul- der back, and raise the body in a line to the horse's right ear. Avoid lavinc,^ hold on the off crutch of the saddle on any occasion (unless you are absolutely likely to fall) for you certainly will imbibe erroneous habits if you accustom yourself to that practice. REMARKS 109 REMARKS AND DESCRIPTION OF UTENSILS USED IN BREAKING AND RIDING. I NOW come to the part of breaking hor- ses ; and, to begin systematically, I shall give a description of those things which are used in breaking, riding, &c. The first thing that occurs, is a common hempen hal- ter, a utensil so universally known that it needs no description ; this is the first thing that is applied to a colt, and, as it may be some weeks before it would be prudent to take it off; it should be sound, and a web- bed one is most suitable to sit easy under the stall-collar, bridle, and cavison. For, till such time as the colt is familiarized, you would have much trouble to put these things on without his getting loose ; therefore, the hal- ter is not to be taken off that you may have something 1 10 REMARKS ON UTENSILS something to hold him by, till he is accus- tomed to be handled. Since the halter is to remain on, you must fasten it by taking a one-turn knot, to prevent it getting too loose, or drawing too tight when you hold him by it, which would frighten and alarm him very much at first. It must be suffi- ciently slack not to incommode his feeding. The end of the halter, at those times, when you do not use it, is to be loosely fastened round his neck, in such manner, that it may not be in the way nor incom- mode the colt. The next thing that presents itself is the stall-collar; this, also, is a thing so well known as to need no description. But it may be necessary to caution those who have not been accustomed to the first handling of colts, that it should be uncommonly strong, and securely put on, the reins suffi- ciently strong to hold him, the rings, staples, manger or whatever he is fastened to, so firm as not to give way to any effort he may make to get loose; for you may reasona- bly USED IN BIDING. HI bly suppose he will make a trial ; some do to the utmost of their strength, and when any thing gives way, it encourages them to future trials. I have known colts, after breaking loose, could not be held by any common new hempen collar reins. In these cases we are under the necessity of swinging them, to break them of this habit. The fnethod of swinging them is to get a farrier's halter, (some of them are stout enough to hold half a dozen horses) and make him fast to any post or tree that will not give way, and irritate him to hang back ; after a trial or two, at his utmost, he will desist, nor will you be able to provoke him to future trials. This leads me to notice the placing of the halter or collar, for I have heard instances of horses dislocating^ their neck from the halter being improperly placed. On these occasions, therefore, you must be particu- lar; and at all times it is best, to be mind- ful to place the headstall of the halter or 4 collar 112 REMARKS ON UTENSILS collar close behind the ear, should it be fat back on the vertebra of the neck, a sudden and violent pull of the horse might occasion a disaster. Stall-collars have, or should have, fronts to keep the headstall in its place, and to fasten a horse that is accustomed to hang resolutely back with a halter : a stall-collar without a front, for a whole night, is dange- rous, though you might be careful of plac- ing it right, because you are not certain of its continuing so. The cavison is the next implement that comes to be used ; the use that is now made of it is to securely hold colts, or stiff and un- tractable horses ; formerlj^ they made use of it, to bend and confine the horse's head, in situations very unnatural and painful ; but as this old system is laid aside, and a much better one adopted, I need only ex- plain the modern cavison. It consists of an iron nose-band, having a joint in the centre, and loop, or eye, to buckle the rein to; the edges of the band 3 on USED IN RIDING. 113 on each side this centre-joint, which fixes on the nose, is turned in and jagged to ope- rate severely, as the horse makes resistance ; two other joints, one on either side, from which joints the iron part is continued smooth and flat, from three to four or five inches, agreeable to the size of the cavison. At the end of which, there are eyes for the fixing a leather strap to the near-side, and a buckle to the off-side, which buckles un- der the jaw ; two other loops, or ej'es, are made in the iron strap close to the joint for fixing the head-stall to. The head-stall, fixed as above, is made to take in or let out with a buckle and front, like unto a bri- dle. The throat-strap must be fixed at that part of the head-stall, on each side that comes nearest the eye, that when buckled tight under the jaw will prevent the head- stall chafing the eye by the play, which the cavison must unavoidably have. A rein or rope, about fifteen feet long, and suffi- ciently strong, fastens by a stout buckle and billet to the loop in the nose-band. VOL. II. I To 114 REMARKS ON UTENSILS To take off the extreme severity of the jagged edges of the nose-band and prevent chafing the hair, it is covered with stout leather; so that if it is buckled mode- rately tight it sits easy and only operates severely by the resistance of the horse. I have been particular respecting the mount- ing, because it being a thing not in such general use as a bridle, I have found it ne- cessary to direct some saddlers how I would have them mounted. And the next article being made by saddlers and collar-makers, principally bj^ direction of those who want them, I shall likewise be particular in that also. A circingle and crouper fitted up for the longeing of colts; this with the cavison and bridle used for such purposes are together called the longeing tackle. A common padded roller may be made up for this purpose. Gentlemen for their private use ma5r have them made of what materials they think proper, as broad girt webb, elastic worsted, with four straps lined and I USED IN RIDING. 115 and faced, agreeable to their taste, &c. The elastic worsted is certainly most plea sant and comfortable; but where there is much and a continued use for them, they are usually made of leather. A comfortable padded roller of such ma- terial as you think proper, may be fitted up as follows : — two very strong leathern loops fixed on the hinder part of the pad, about four inches from the centre, on either side, for a double-secured crouper. The leather may be continued across the pad to form two other loops in the front, for the reins to be fastened to. Two stout double-crouper straps, which are passed through these loops, are to intersect each other on the horse's rump, and the splicing and sewing must be neat and smooth, not to chafe and rub the hair more than cannot be helped. The part that receives the dock should be large, stuffed with cotton and tallow, or as is usual, to sew a candle in, and must be made to pass under the tail, and buckle on the near side. A loop may likewise be made 1 2 on 1 16 REMARKS ON UTEKSJLS on that part of the croiiper where tlie straps intersect for the purpose of making a rein fast to, should you have occasion, as may be hereafter pointed out; other loops, as man}^ as three or four on each side, at three inches distance from each other, may be placed on the fore-part of the pad and circingle, for the purpose of fixing ^^our reins high or low as you may think proper; the loops must be made sufficiently large for stout reins, and the buckle at the end to pass readily through. This is the fittest manner I can devise, and if the circingle was made to buckle to the pad on each side, it might, by taking up and letting out, on both sides, suit a greater variety of sized horses ; which maj^ be a consideration to those who have but one. That strength may be attended to, I have to observe, that some descrij )tions of horses might be spoiled for general use by finding themselves capable of breaking the tackle. Bridles for Longeing. — Tlie properest bridle for longeing is a snaffle-bridle, with running USED IN HIDING. 117 miming reins ; that is, a snafile-bridle with long separate reins, one end of each rein fastens by a buckle and billet to the sad- dle, or longeing-pad ; and the reins passing through the eyes of the bit, the other ends buckle together for riding, or each end is fastened to some part of the pad or crouper, as may be convenient for longeing. The length of each rein for riding, should be about seven feet long ; and those for longe- ing nine-feet ; or as long as the hide will admit them to be cut, for there should be no joint if it can be avoided; because every part of the rein, one time or other, may have to traverse through rings, or tie in knots which should readiU^ slip. — Splices, therefore, will be found impediments. A bridle of this kind, fitted up for the pur- pose of breaking a variety of horses, should have buckles and billets, to apply what bit you please ; there should be small rings or D's, sewed on the head-stall, on each side where the front comes, Avith a slit in the ffont for them to come through : these D's 1 3 are 118 REMARKS ON UTENSILS are occasionally to buckle rings of an inch and a half diameter, by means of a strap that will suspend the rings, and take up to two, or let down to six inches in length; when these rings are used, the reins which are buckled to the saddle or pad, first pass through them, and then through the eye of the bit ; the meaning is to make the reins operate higher. With horses that are inclined to carry their head too low, to this bridle must be attached a bit suitable for the purpose you are aiming at, or the subject you have toworkon. — This leads me to a discussion ON BITS. Bits are of two kinds, the one operating on the horse's lip, by compressing it against that part of the horse's jaw, called the bars, which is the gums between the tush and grinders ; these go under the denomination of snaffles and bridoons. The USED IN RIDING. 119 The other, compressing the bars and the beard by the assistance of the curb and power of a laver, are commonly called bits; but, as the ingenuity of man has, from time to time, varied the construction, fashion, and sometimes properties, very injudiciously, they have received names and appellations which have been applied sometimes to one bit, and then to another, that a bit-maker now cannot be certain of what bit you mean, except enquired for by its distinguishing name, viz. the Cannon Bit, the Pelham Bit, the Pembroke Bit, the Weymouth Bit, the Hard and Sharp, the Portmouth, &c. &c. Leaving, therefore, any enquiries about names, I shall proceed to notice those only which I conceive useful and consistent, and omit all the petty whims and inventions, which are innumerable, and originated some from the bit-makers to promote trade, (since many will have whatever is new) and others from conceited horsemen, who re- quire a bit to make up for the deficiency of their hands. I 4 Though ] 20 RExMARKS ON UTENSILS Though I admit but of two kinds of bits, yet their construction may give mildness or severity in their operation. I shall, there- fore, begin with the mildest bit, which is sometimes called a colt's bit, or mouthing- bit: the part that compresses the lip against the bars is made large and smooth, for the larger the mouth-piece of the bit the milder it operates, as 3 ou ma}' judge by only lilting a heavy weight, first with a thin ring and then with a thick one. This bit is rendered still milder by the centre of the mouth-piece being united by a ring, which renders the pressure less severe. There is usually to a colt's bit, a flat triangular piece of iron suspended to the ring, and three or four drops suspending from that; these are in- tended to stimulate the tongue to move, which promotes slaver ; by which means, the mouth is kept cool and refreshed ; for w^hen the mouth is dry and hot, it becomes numbed and insensible. The cheeks to this bit, and all snaffles, should be six inches long, and the eye to fix the head-stall and reins sufficiently USED IN RIDING. 12^1 sufficiently large that stout reins may freely traverse. I shall next notice, the common plain snaffle ; the mouth-])iece of which is gene- rally about the thickness of one's fuiger- they are so well known that they need no description. If you take the mouth-piece in your hand, and pull by the reins with the other, you will comprehend immediately their operation ; and, if you try the colt's bit in like manner, you will perceive how mild that is rendered by the ring uniting the mouth-piece. This snaffle may be used after the colt's bit, and is proper to ride with by those who prefer snaffles ; some variation in the powers of this bit will be occasioned by the length and thinness of the mouth- piece, which renders it sharper — thick and short will be mild. To render the snaffle more severe, a twisted one will be found to answer ; the deeper they are indented, con- sequently the more acute will be the opera- tion. These, therefore, are proper for hor- des that have hard callous lips; some are more 122 REMARKS ON UTENSILS more callous and insensible by nature than others, but many are rendered so by heavy dead hands. Horses that have their shoulders well back, their crest rising, and neck arched, so that the nose, when they are united, does not exceed forty -five degrees from a per- pendicular to their forehead, will ever ride pleasant and manageable even a hunting with the snaffle, and it is the preferable bri- dle to ride such horses with. The bridoon is a snaffle without the cheek ; this is only used with another bit, and the cheeks would interfere and be more incumbrance than use. The mouth-piece of the snaffle must be placed in the mouth, not to gag or wrinkle the corners of the mouth, and it is of no consequence how low, so that the horse cannot get it over his tush, for the opera- tion of the reins brings the snaffle to the place it is to act. This USED IN RIDING. 123 This is all I see necessary to take notice of respecting snaffles ; all other inventions that I have seen, I consider useless — mere whim or fashion. A man may tell me he cannot hold his horse without a double mouth-piece : I shall answer, that he pre- fers governing the most noble and generous animal in the creation by torture, rather than submit himself to be taught how to ma- nage him by milder means. I now come to notice, what goes under the general appellation of the bit. This, also, is universally known to those conver- sant with horses, but not so universally con- sidered. Its parts are, the mouth-piece- curb, curb-hook, cheeks, and branches. The mouth-piece is that part received with- in the mouth, the length of which, should be agreeable to the size of the horse, usually about five inches, and round ; the ends of which should rest on the bars, and the mid- dle form a cavity for the tongue to lie easy and undisturbed. .5 The 124 REMARKS ON UTENSILS The cheeks are the upper part of the la- yer, above the mouth-piece, on each side the jaw ; the branches are the lower part, and are straight or crooked agreeable to fan- cy : the power of the bit chiefly ^^epends on the length of these, and I have seen some only three inches in length, others twelve, both of which are inconsistent extremes. Each end of the mouth-piece is fixed into cheek; which should be at the distance of two inches and a half fi-om the top, and soldered or rivetted to be as firm as one piece. The curb is a chain, so constructed as to lie smooth and flat under the jaw ; one end of the curb is clenched fast to the upper part of the off cheek of the bit, and a hook is clinched to the near cheek, to link the curb-chain to. Rings at the extreme ends of the branch, for the reins to be sewed to, are preferable to loops. The powers of the bit increases in the proportion as tlie length of branch ex- ceeds the distance the curb is fixed from the mouth-piece; so, that if tlie curb is fixed USED IN RIDING. 125 fixed two inches and a half above the mouth-piece, and the reins operating from the lower part of the branch five inches be" low the mouth-piece, for every ounce you pull on the rein, you press two with the curb on the jaw, and three with the mouth-piece on the bars. By this rule, you will say that the length of the branch and clieek is of no consequence, so that the mouth-piece is fixed at that part which gives the branch double the length. of the cheek. According to the mechanical powers of the laver, it cer- tainly would not : but then we must suit our laver agreeable to the purpose w^e want it. For were the curb-chain to be fixed at only one inch above the mouth-piece, you could not hook the curb so tight as to ope- rate with any power on the jaw ; or, if you did, you would confine the branch in a situ- ation that loses its pow er, as will appear pre- sently. It will be found from the under part of the mouth-piece, which rests on the bars, to the eye, that the curb and the hook which it is fixed to, must not be less than two inches and a half; by reason, a less radius moving forty- five 126 REMARKS ON UTENSILS five degrees, will not give a chord sufficient to operate against the play the curb must unavoidably have. This being determined, you may have a bit made of what power you please. The distance of two inches and a half for the curb to be fixed, being found sufficient ; to give it a greater distance would diminish the powers, or give enormity to the branch. The length of branch may be varied ac- cording to the powers you want in the bit ; for general use, or what I would recom- mend for the army, is about five inches ; which, with the loop the head-stall is sewed to, the cheek and branch, makes together about eight inches in length. Gentlemen who have heavy hands,and light- mouthed horses, must have their branches shorter by an inch ; and those who cannot govern their horses, but by the extreme powers of the bit, must lengthen the branch an inch. Respectin CP USED IN EIDING. 127 Respecting fashion, it makes good for trade, and a variety of forms may be invented that would not alter one property; consequently such cannot be objected to. The cheeks should have round loops for the head-stall, rather than square ones, because the leather sits smoother and pleasanter, as the bit ope- rates. All corners or edges that can possi- bly rub the horse's cheek, or chafe the hair off, should be avoided. The cavity in the mouth-piece for the tongue, I by no means would be understood to be a high port- mouth. Those high portmouths were in- vented to force the jaws open, and render the horse very uncomfortable, but that is no consideration to the man that cannot hold his horse by other means. Smooth rollers on the mouth-piece are immaterial — they effect neither good nor harm ; I ha\^e been induced to enquire of the saddlers and bit- makers, if they could point out a use which I could not discover, but have never been answered to any purpose. One man told me, if the horse got the mouth-piece between his teeth, the branch and curb would 128 REMARKS ON UTEKSILS would not be obstructed from operating, aind I supjDose such an idea as this caused the in- vention. But as the horse cannot possibly get the mouth-piece to bis grinders; and the head-stall, if buckled to a proper length, will not permit him to get it between his tushes, much less his gatherers, they are useless in that respect. The form of the branch may be after what iashion you please, so that you retain the poAver you require; variety of curves and and figures have been invented, some only for fashion, others to prevent the horse lodg- ing the branch on his gatherers. This is what many horses will do, without having any mischievous intent. But as the bit does not properly operate, it should be pre- vented ; which is easily done by a small chin-strap, if properly placed and buckled ; but many are so constructed as to be of no use. Should a person be unprovided with a chin-strap, and the horse addicted to get the branch on his teeth, you can dislodge it by slacking the hand, and shaking the reins, but USED IN RIDING. 129 but the harder you pull, the firmer it holds on. With the bit, a bridoon is usually mount- ed; this leads me to a few remarks on mounting a bridle. Here I shall avoid interference with fa- shion, and only note convenience. There are two methods of mounting a bit and bri- doon bridle : the first, and the most usual, is adapted for riding the extended paces, and hunting — this has the longer and stouter rein fixed to the bridoon, and the shorter one to the bit, I see no occasion to say more on this method, being universally known. The other method is calculated to ride in the united paces, consequently is used in the manege, the army, and for ladies' bri- dles, &c. It is usual to fix the bridoon to a separate head-stall from the bit; this has its inconvenience, for w^e use but one rein of the bridoon to support the position, and if VOL. II. K the 130 REMARKS ON UTENSILS the horse is stiff, or reluctantly bends the the bridoon, having no cheeks, will draw through the mouth. But the more old-fa- shion waj' was to fix the bridoon to the same head-stall, having it sufficiently wide to di- vide at the ends, one to receive the bit, and the other the bridoon, and bj^ this method the bridoon cannot be drawn through. If the former method is adopted, j^ou must have a nose-band, with loops in the head- stall of the bridoon for it to pass through, and that may prevent it. The shorter and lighter rein is to be fixed to the bridoon, the stouter and longer rein to the bit. This rein is usuall}^ joined in the middle, by putting end to end, with a piece of leather between to thicken the substance, that a slider on the reins may not pass over. This method is readily to ascertain the middle, to adjust the reins even. But there is an oversight committed in this, for the near or left rein should be at least half an inch longer than the other, by reason it has to pass under tbe little finger, and USED IN RIDING. 131 and on the outside of the left rein over the fore finger, which will make a difference from half to three quarters of an inch. I think further remarks would be tedious, and therefore shall proceed to the adjusting the bridle and curb : this is a material thing, since the powers of the bit may be lost, or the bridle rendered very uncomfortable to the horse for want of being properly adjusted. In the army they are very particular to see that every horse has his bridle adjusted* and it is very proper they should; but I have seen them adjusted, not agreeable to my notions and opinion, therefore I shall speak fully on this subject. To guard against what is termed the horse running through his bridle, that is, the curb being too slack, so that the branch loses all its power before the curb takes any effect, they run into the opposite extreme, where the branch loses great part of its power, and the horse rendered uncomfortable by the K 2 gagging 132 REMARKS ON UTENSILS gagging of the bit. Uniformity is much re- garded in the army, since the whole regi- ment has an uniform bit of the same powers and dimensions in every part, but the horses may vary widely, some carrying their heads high, others low, some poking their nose out, and others bridled to the chest — these circumstances require a trifling difference in the adjustment of the curb. It therefore re- quires some knowledge of the horse, to know precisely how to adjust his bridle. 1 shall first remark what I noticed to be the standing orders for the Serjeants to see that every horse's bridle should be adjusted agreeable thereto. The bits were placed so high in the mouth, that the bridoon wrinkled the corner of the mouth, and the curb was so tight as to keep the branch in a line with the head-stall of the bridle, nor could the operation of the reins have forced it more than twelve degrees back; this, no doubt, was considered the best and properest for general adoption, and certain to prevent the horses running through their bridle. 3 Now USED IN RIDING. I33 Now let US examine the propriety of it, or rather impropriety : first, the taking up the head-stall to place the bit so high in the mouth, interferes with the operation of the branch. For only unhook the curb, and pull on the branches, and you will find they are obstructed by the tightness of the head stall, and the mouth-piece must rise to gag the horse before they can operate with power. The curb must unavoidabl}^ have that slack- ness which the depth of the curb-hook gives it, which, to a stout bit, is nearly an inch. Now from the straightness of the bit, a con- siderable operation must take place on the branch, before the curb has any operation. And the operation which takes place, though the powers of the bit are diminished, af- fects the horse unpleasantly, gagging him, and causing him to raise his nose. Beside, if one part of the jaw is more feeble than the other, it certainly is the lower part, and therefore we would wish the bit to operate as low as it consistently can. If we examine in what situation the bit K 3 operates 134 REMARKS ON UTENSILS operates with the greatest power, it will be found, when the direction of the reins form a right angle with the branch of the bit ; and the more acute or obtuse angle it makes, the more power we lose. To elucidate this, I have given a print with a moveable head, and described the branches of the bit in two situations, the one in the manner I have seen horses directed to be curbed, and the other after the manner I recommend them to be curbed, the threads passing from the situation of the hand to the branches, repre- sent the reins ; and if you move the head in any possible situation that the horse can place it, you will fmd the branch (No. 1), which is the manner I recommend, has the greatest power, the reins operating farther from the centre, and forming an angle with the bit, less acute than the other. In adjusting the bridle on the horse, the head-stall must be of that length that ad- mits the mouth-piece of the bit to rest on the bars, a little above the tush ; the bridoon a little shorter, but not so high as to wTinkle the USED IN RIDING. 135 the corner of the mouth, the throat-lash huckled rather loose, to admit the horsewhen goingtobridle his head. Themane is usually cut close where the head-stall comes, and the finger should clear any part of the mane, or fore-top, that may interfere with it. The foretop when combed smooth, may be put over or under the front ; the curb is the last thing adjusted, and though a trifling ^varia- tion may be proper, according to the man- ner the horse carries his head, I shall set down that criterion which suits the gene- rality of horses. The curb-chain, observe, is to pass under the bridoon ; therefore, put your right hand under the bridoon reins, to take hold of the curb-chain ; and, with the left, put tw o fingers within the cheek of the bit, and with your thumb take hold of the curb-hook. — The end links of the curb-chain being in your right hand,, turn the chain to the right, or as you would turn a screw, till ever}^ link lies smooth and flat, as though it was a strap, and ther without losing a half turn, K 4 put 136 REMARKS ON UTENSILS put that link on the hook, as appears to be most appropriate, i. e. neither tight nor slack, and examine how the branch operates. If the branch has liberty to move 45 degrees, and no more, it is the criterion I judge most proper; but a few degrees, more or less, is not to be regarded. Nevertheless, if one link of the chain confines it to 35 de- grees, and putting it one link looser, gives it liberty to 55 degrees; the manner your horse carries his head must determine which of the links is most proper. If the horse naturally carries his nose high, let the branch have 55 degrees; if he brings his nose in, 35 will be best. If there is a chain-strap, the strap must be placed so high on the branch, that when passed through the ring in the curb-chain, it must be buckled to that tightness that pre- cludes the possibility of the horse lodging the branch on his teeth. Unnecessary tight- ness should be avoided, as it renders the bit less comfortable to the horse. It USED IN RIDING. 137 It is necessary that every gentleman should not only know when his bridle is properly adjusted, but also be able to alter it; and having in my professional practice, witnessed the awkwardness of j^oung horsemen, I have been more explicit in this than some may think there was occasion. Now if we take a review of the bit, as I have directed it to be placed, it will be found perfectly pleasant and agreeable to the horse ; for while he is obedient to the light and delicate aids of the hand, he can champ on the bit, and move it with his tongue, which enlivens the bars, promotes slaver, and keeps the mouth cool. And should cir- cumstances occur, by being put out at speed, or otherwise, that you want the powers of the bit, you have it to the greatest advantage ; for the lower the bit is in the mouth, it ope- rates on the more feeble part of the jaw; and the branch having A5 degrees liberty, has its greatest power, nor can the horse put his head in any situation, but the bit will re- tain a sufficiency of power. To 138 REMARKS ON UTENSILS To demonstrate this, move the head to what situation you conceive it possible for the horse to put it, and you will perceive the branch at forty-five degrees will operate far- ther from the centre, and upon a less acute angle than the other, even in the natural si- tuation of the head, which is when 45 is placed against 45, you will perceive the branch at 15 loses one inch, by the reins operating one inch nearer the center. The cir- cles are placed at half-inch distances, and will convey an idea of the power you lose by the horse throwing his nose up, and accounts for his so doing on every abrupt and harsh operation of the hand. I cannot perceive one advantage the bit has in being placed high in the mouth, and curbed so tight; but, on the contrary, ex- clusive of the powers you lose, you benumb and deaden the mouth by the bit being so confined that scarcely the tongue can move. The visible uneasiness of the horse from the operation of the reins, may be thought to be occasioned by the severity of the bit, but this rSED IN RIDING. 139 this is a mistake — it is the unpleasant gagging the bit that causes his uneasiness, and not the pressure of the curb on the chin, nor the mouth-piece on the bar. Though f object to the curb being too tight, I must caution you against having it too slack ; for though the horse could not run through his bridle, if the branch went seventj^-five degrees back, if the horse car- ried his nose high, yet if he bridled his head in, your reins would form such an obtuse angle with the branch, that you would lose the power of the branch : therefore, adher- ing as near as you can to the medium of forty-five degrees will be found best. ON SADDLES. The modern saddles now in use, when they first came up, were distinguished by the name of hunting- saddles, and the old- fashioned ones, with one deep skirt, were called road-saddles. The inconveniences of these saddles have put them out of use, so that you rarely see one now, but with 140 REMAEKS ON UTENSILS with old post harness. Those who have never rode on these saddles, may not be aware of their inconveniences, and those who are fond of singularit}^ may be induced to order one on the old construction. The absurdest whims are followed, if set on foot by those who lead fashions; witness, a short time since, every horse must have a collar and martingale, let his head be placed by nature in the most desirable manner. At another time, every horse must have a breast-plate, though his belly was like a mare with-foal ; others with crou per?, though the horse was tucked up, and run through his girths. Now the inconveniences of the old single- flap saddles are, that if the flap is short, your knee is not protected from the girths and straps; if the flap is made deeper, it un- pleasantly interferes with the top of the boot, if you have the flap still longer, the stirrup-leather will cause it to rub and chafe the leg. If you have a sircingle to prevent it, the stirrup-leather is confined and un, pleasant ; and should your foot quit the stir- rup. USED IN RIDING. 141 rup, you cannot, without stopping your horse, conveniently get your stirrup again. These inconveniences have done away their use for the present. The modern saddle does away all these inconveniences, by the stirruj>leather being outside the deep flap; and though the flap be cut ever so deep, it needs no sircingle to keep down, provided the leather is of that sub- stance it ought to be ; but if it is a thin flabby piece of leather, it will rise with your knees, and be unsafe to ride a horse over leaps, &c. The short flap covers the aper- ture where the stirrup-leather comes through, and when properly made, you feel no in- convenience from it ; but I have rode on saddles where the edges of this flap have chafed me — I believe it might be occasioned by the flaps being too short. I have seen a single-flap saddle, with a small neat hole cut for the stirrup-leather, to come on the outside. I see no other ob- jection to this than the eye-sore, which would 142 REMARKS ON UTENSILS would be thought nothing of, if general, and the preclusion of altering your stirrup without dismounting. Now, gentlemen have done away this convenience in the modern saddle, by having the ends of the stirrup-leather put under the deep flap, and when there is occasion to have them altered, it is attended with some difficult}^, and the flaps are liable to be, and are frequently torn when they become hard and dr}^ with doing it. But I prefer the end of the stirrup-leather on the outside, that I may alter my stirrup as I like, in a full gallop if I please. It is certain, were any thing construct- ed and brought to the highest perfection, the most ridiculous absurdities would be substituted for fashion's sake. But a few years ago, the pommel of the saddle was made to a point, as small as the end of my finger, which might mortally injure a per- son were he to have the misfortune to be chucked upon it. If a regimental saddle had a high cantle, to prevent the forage and ne- cessaries a soldier carries on his march, riding USED IN RIDING. ' 143 riding on the saddle, what necessity can there be for the gentleman to adopt the same, who will not carr}^ his great coat behind him. These absurdities have taken place, and others will, when stilish people shall in- troduce them. Let us consider the use and utility of the saddle, and we fmd it intended to enable the horse to carry his burthen with more ease and comfort to himself; this is the first con- sideration— and the next is, to make the seat pleasant, secure, and comfortable to the rider ; other considerations are convenience and fashion. I had an ingenious acquain- tance, a riding-master, who has since served in the army ; regretting the injuries horses sustain by saddle-trees, he told me he had in- vented a saddle without a tree, and I ex- pected an invention of this sort to appear ; but finding it did not, I was inquisitive to be informed of my friend's invention, and found he had overlooked the first and origi- nal intention of the saddle, and had con- structed a pad in the form of a saddle, whereon 144 REMARKS ON UTENSILS whereon a person might ride pleasant and secure enough; and, were the rider's secu- rity the first consideration, a dealer's show- cloth properly buckled on, affords as secure a seat as a peak saddle, and we need seek no further. But in what manner does the saddle re- lieve the horse ? First, he is relieved from the friction of the thighs. The action of the horse always gives the body motion, and the saddle pre- vents the horse receiving the friction he would endure if bare-backed, or only a cloth on. Next, the weight of the rider is distri- buted and conveyed to parts more capable of sustaining the weight. For instance, when you ride without a saddle, the horse sustains your weight in the middle, or most weak part of his back; but when you ride on a saddle, your weight is distributed, for the saddle has bearings before and behind, but USED IN BIDING. 145 but none in the centre, or weak part of the back. From hence we may infer, that the sad- dle should be proportioned to the size of the horse ; and the short saddles used for racing, are constructed more for lightness than ease. Not that I would have a saddle too long, as to reach from his withers to his rump ; but that the bearings before are clear of any in- terference with the shoulder or plate-bone, and behind not to extend to the hips by four inches. The fitting of the saddle greatly contri- butes to the ease of the horse, and this commonly is only partially considered ; for when a strange saddle is put on a horse, if it is not likely to crush his withers before, and come down on the back-bone behind, it is judged sufficient. But if a horse has a weight to carry, or a long journey to per- form, particular attention should be paid to the fitting of the saddle, for a horse ma}^ be rendered very uncomfortable, though the VOL. II. L saddle 146 REMARKS ON UTENSILS saddle neither presses on his withers or his chine. For the saddle to fit well, the bearing should be equal on every part that is intend- ed it should touch ; and the closer it comes down, so that neither the weight of the rider, nor settling of the pannel, cannot bring it to injure the withers or chine, the better. Examine, therefore, with j^our fmger from the bearing of the side of the withers, to the point of the tree, if it appears to have equal pressure ; and the same all round the hinder part of the saddle. If there is space for your fmger between the pommel and the withers, and likewise between the chine bone and back part of the saddle, you may reasonably suppose it will not come down to injure the horse, unless the tree is weak, and spreads with the weight of the rider, or the pannel is newly stuffed. On the other hand, if j^ou perceive the points USED IN RIDING. 147 points so narrow, that the saddle cannot Gome to its bearings till the girths or weight of the rider brings it down, the extra pres- sure at these points for a considerable time or distance, must occasion heat and inflam- mation. The same remark will stand good for the hind part of the saddle. Again, should the saddle come down on its bearings, and the points stand so wide as not to touch, and the pommel stands high so as not to injure the withers, it is said this saddle will not hurt him. Agreed — it will not, to ride a small distance, or to exercise, or to give a horse a lesson, for on this princi- ple the saddles for general use are made, to suit all horses; the points of the tree are short, and sufficiently wide, the pommel cut high, so that a bearing is sure to take place, without crushing the withers. But these cannot be called saddles to fit. And when long journies are taken in hot weather, with saddles that have such contracted bearings, expect to find inflammation and warbles. L 2 A lady's 148 REMARKS ON UTENSILS A lady's saddle requires the most particu- lar exactness in fitting, or the horse will be cruelly galled by it; this makes people attend much to it, though many err in their conception of the saddle fitting. A lady's saddle should be very deep in the points, and should sit close from the top of the bearing to the extreme ends of the points. The manner a lady rides will ever give the saddle a preponderance to the near side, at which time the saddle is sustained by the point on the near side, and the bear- ing on the off, which may be compared to a hook ; the depth and closeness of the near point, preventing the bearing on the off side unhooking itself The closer the pom- mel comes down to the withers, so as nei- ther weight nor settlement can make it touch, the better; and a trifling easement may be given on the off side of the pommel, but not to extend to any part where the bear- ing should be, lest you loosen that bite or hold, which sustains the saddle. If the tree does not fit in the manner de- scribed. USED IN RIDING. 149 scribed, you cannot stuff the pannel to in- sure its not injuring the horse ; and where the tree fits, all superfluous stuffing in the pannel, under the idea of rendering it soft and pleasant to the horse, must be avoided, as the elasticity of the stuffing permits the saddle to get out of place. Thick-stuffed pannels are not always eas}^ for the horse in gentlemen's saddles, for it is difficult to be certain of so much stuffing being regular; and those parts that happen to be thickest, when they settle and become hard with the sweat, must be uneas}^ and occasion war- bles. Respecting saddles keeping their place on the horse's back, there are two contrivances: the crupper, to prevent it getting too for- ward; and the breast-plate, to prevent it getting back : but neither are wanted by gentlemen for road-riding, who keep their horses in condition, and have their saddles fitted to them. For hunting, some horses require a breast-plate ; deep-chested horses climbing hills, their bodies tucked up by L 3 running. 150 REMARKS ON UTENSILS running, their saddles will get back, and require a breast-plate, which should be of worsted, for its elasticity. The crupper is useful : in breaking we use it, because every horse should be accus- tomed to it, and because the saddles we use are not fitted to the horses we ride. Many horses when full of flesh, and out of condi- tion, cannot keep a saddle in its place with- out a crupper. But dry wholesome food, and sufficient exercise, with good grooming, soon alter the shape and condition, that a horse can carry the saddle without the crup])er. Ladies' saddles, when properly fitted, will not require cruppers more than gentlemen's, but the girths crossed from the hind part of the saddle to the front, will keep them more steady ; or a strap from the hind part of the saddle to the fore girth on the off side, may prevent the saddle twisting to the near side, as it usually does. Having USED IN RIDING. 151 Having considered what relates to the ease and comfort of the horse, the rider's accommodation comes next to be consi- dered ; for a saddle may fit a horse, yet be a most awkward, unpleasant seat for the horseman. Those who have rode on a va- riety of saddles, both of the old and mo- dern make, are sensible of this. The mo- nern saddle of our best makers, are hardly to be improved upon ; I dont mean to at- tempt it, but shall leave it to the saddlers, whose more particular province it is, declar- ing I cannot suggest any ideas to assist them therein. But, for the information of gentlemen, I shall develope the seat of a saddle, which w ill shew that the comfort, ease, and security of riding, depend much on the ingenuity and skill of the saddler. The upper part, or seat of the saddle, is formed or shaped by the straining^ of what is called web. Web is first strained from the pommel to the can- tie of the tree, and other web crossing those to the bars of the tree on each side, by the L 4 straining ] 52 REMARKS ON UTENSILS straining of these, the hollowness and pro- priety of the seat is formed. The propriety of the seat is, when the rider without his stirrups, or any effort of his own, naturally settles, and keeps his proper situation in the saddle; but when the seat is improperly shaped, he will be shifted (too forward mostly), and will have an insecure and un- pleasant seat. Therefore, when the saddle is on the horse's back, if your cantle is ever so high, the lowest part of the seat should be rather behind the centre of the saddle, where the gravity of the body will settle, and permit the thighs to keep their proper situation and position. You will observe, the web sustains the weight of the rider, protecting him from the tree of the saddle, and to render his seat easy, it is first covered with flannel and stuffed with wool; the sides of the seat on each side are stuffed pretty full, to keep the upper part of the thigh clear from chafing, by the edges of the upper flap. The centre covering of the seat is usually 5 hog- USED IN RIDING. 153 hog-skin — some may be induced for their ease to have them covered with doe-skin, but I apprize such, that it is difficult to keep them decently clean; beside, if caught in the rain, they imbibe so much wet, they must be several days drying. The seat of a lady's saddle, exclusive of the head, is differently formed from the gen- tleman's. A deep hoUowness in the centre of the seat is unnecessary ; the seat is stuffed on each side full, that the rider may be less liable to slide to the near side : and particu- lar regard should be had that the saddle is proportioned to the size of the lady; for a tall lady, though ever so slim and light, must not have a short saddle, because she cannot keep herself from off the cantle. The improvements in the ladies' saddle have, I think, exceeded those of the gentle- men's. If we look at the old-fashioned side- saddle, and the modern one, a great diffe- rence appears ; but the improvement may not 1 54 EEIvilARKS ON UTENSILS not strike the person unacquainted with them. I shall endeavour to point them out. The modern ladies' saddles, exclusive of the heads, are made high in the pommel ; the intention of which is, to prevent the seat from shifting forward, on even ground, or small declivities, which it unavoidably will in riding down steep hills ; and when the seat is thus forward, the knee loses its grasp, which is the lady's principal security. The head of the modern saddle, which is the part that receives the knee, are made high (from six to eight inches) which secures the knee from being displaced by any little unexpected roughness, that sometimes un- avoidably happens. And lastly, the head is placed more upright, or over to the off side, which assists the lady in keeping her centre in the saddle, and not hanging to the near side. Beside which, the modern saddle has a flap on the near side before the saddle, which preserves the habit from the sweat of the horse, and the leg from the front of the saddle ; USED IN EIDING. 1 55 saddle ; the inside of this flap is sometimes lined with flannel for the accommodation of the horse; and the outside with hog-skin, stuffed for the accommodation of the rider. The head, and every part of the ladies' sad- dle, should be stuffed, to render it as com- fortable as possible, but no part should be covered w^ith doe-skin, because, exclusive of the disadvantages I pointed out in the gen- tlemen's saddle, the lady's habit will cling to this kind of leather, and ride up be3^ond a possibility of keeping it comfortably down. For a lady's stirrup, the slippers now in use are pleasant and secure ; the iron cannot gall the instep, nor the foot hang in it in case of accident, provided the iron is wide enough for the foot. My method is to have the stirrup fixed, and hang the leather over the off head of the saddle, the buckle under the head, by which method I can alter a lady's stirrup without displacing her, or dismounting myself; and thus there can be jio occasion for a double-flapped saddle, but S all 156 EEMARKS ON UTENSILS all ladies' saddles must have sircingles to confine the flaps. Other saddles are rarely used now, except in riding-houses, which are called peak sad- dles, and demi-peaks. These saddles have a peak, or raised work round the seat, shaped to the thighs ; the seat is usually co- vered with stout doe-skin, soft stuffed and quilted ; the peak is continued beyond the tree, a little down the thighs, by leather, whose elasticity preserves the balance with- out galling the thigh. The demi-peaks have only burs before, to keep the thighs from coming forward, but the fiill-breasted peak has a raised work continued fi^om side to side over the pom- mel or front of the seat. The peak and ad- herence of the soft-stuffed doe-skin seat, pre- serves a secure balance without stirrups, and the breast-work preventing your knees rising or coming forward, certainly gives an addi- tional security to the seat, and therefore these saddles are preferable for backing young USED IN RIDING. 15? young horses, breaking in general, and rid- ing the manege lessons very high. Stirrups are not always used with these saddles, and therefore they are looped to a brass knob fixed over the jwrnmel for that purpose, or removed at pleasure. The skirts of these saddles are usually Russia leather, curiously stitched; in general they make the skirts too short, a fault that is easily remedied by giving orders accordingly. This I look upon to be the ancient war-saddle, and, I believe, is still used in many parts abroad as a state- saddle, superbly decorated. Were I to remark every little fancy that I have seen adopted by horse-breakers, grooms, fashionable riders, &c., I should swell the page to little purpose. I intended to be silent on whatever was useless, but to pass over the martingale would be thought a grand omission, and what I shall say upon it will occasion some to impeach my judg- ment— this I cannot help, but must say what I think, that the martingale is useless to a horseman, detrimental to the horse, and in 158 REMARKS ON UTENSILS' in many instances dangerous to use. It certainly was invented by those who had no hands to govern the mouth, and now the hke deficienc}^ and fashion continue the use of it. I hold myself bound to make the three first assertions appear — the follow^ ing ones are suggested for that purpose : First, themartingale is useless to a horseman. By a horseman I mean those who have a seat without the bridle, and hands at liberty well informed, to work upon the horse's mouth, and bring it to a proper appui and obedience, by which the horse will carry his head in that situation nature intended he should. I dont call every description of riders horsemen. To such a person the martingale is more than useless, because it prevents the hands operating effectually on the mouth ; for any interference with the rein between the hand and mouth, must de- stroy some property of the hand ; the situa- tion of the hand variously affects the horse, but if the rein is confmed to a certain direction by a martingale, the raising USED IN RIDING. 159 raising of the hand has not its intended effect. It is detrimental to the horse. This is proved by the effect : for let any person that has confined the reins down by a martingale, and rode the horse thus for years, take off the martingale, and see if the horse will not throw his nose up ; even a horse of the most favourable make will do this after the con- tinued use of a martingale. Thus a mar- tingale will never bring a horse to carry his head in place without a martingale, and those who naturally carry their heads well, are spoiled (for a while) by the use of it. In many instances it is dangerous to use. A horse should be uncommonly safe that is rode with a martingale, for should he trip, the rider cannot assist him; the operation of the reins would draw his head down, in- stead of lifting him up, and any endeavour of the rider to save him would be a detri- ment to the horse saving himself; should a horse set to kicking, the martingale prevents the 160 REMARKS ON UTENSILS the rider from disarming any part of the de- fence, by keeping the horse's head up, but gives the horse hberty to kick, till horse or man, or both fall together. Should a horse be restive, the reins are the horseman's only security to protect himself from any injury the horse may meditate; therefore, any con- finement to the reins must be an obstruction to the rider, and render his situation some- what dangerous. I dont know that what I have said on this subject, though it carries reason and con- viction with it, will satisfy some imaginary horsemen ; for some have told me, it was impossible for any man to ride their horse without a martingale : such, I presume, will not be satisfied unless the art is practised on that identical horse. And I must con- fess great allowance must be made for their positiveness, for scientific horsemen are very few, and courageous, bold, daring riders very many ; if, therefore, a man has been in the habit of riding several years, and a continual variety of horses, having a strong USED IN RIDING. I6l strong seat, and resolution to ride any horse, it is natural for him to suppose himself as good a horseman as any in the kingdom, and what he cannot accomplish, no other person can. I remember a dealer having a little blood horse, that I dare say had never been rode without a martingale, and when a horse will not show without a martingale, it is a great hindrance to the sale. On this account it was offered me a bargain, and a bargain it turned out, contrary to the expectations of the dealer. To convey an idea of the awk- wardness of the horse, occasioned by the martingale, when I rode it the first time in a snaffle bridle, the nose was thrown up above the forehead, in which state — the mouth totally ungovernable — the horse run himself right against the wall, for it was in the riding-house. But how was the dealer .surprised at the end of a Aveek, to see his own wife riding it without a martingale, and the horse carrying his head most desirably, and the mouth obedient and pleasant; he VOL. IL M declared 162 REMARKS ON UTENSILS declared if he had not seen it, no one could have persuaded him it was possible. Many have I convinced in, like manner, that their horses would ride without martingales. Nevertheless, there are some horses that have their head and neck formed and set on so unfavourably, that none but professed and good horsemen can bring the mouth to any tolerable degree of obedience : for ob- serve, when the mouth has an appui, and obedient thereto, the head is surely in the place nature intended it should be. From the awkwardness of their make, their mouths are very fickle, and any severity of the hand, or abrupt touches of the bridle, occa- sions them to throw up their heads, some- times so violent as to hit the rider in the face, if he does not sit upright. If I admit a martingale, it must be on a horse of this description ; but then the martingale must have' no interference with either of the reins; it must be confined to a nose-band, and never so short as to prevent the horse raising his head, but to check his throwing 5 it USED IN RIDING. 163 it back. A horse's head is never to be con- fined by violent means to any one situation, for his head is to be carried agreeable to the pace and manner he carries himself. If he is extended or disunited, he will carry it low; the more he is united, the higher he will raise it, and the head cannot be too high if the nose is brought in as far as the throp- ple, or setting on of the head will admit. Every thing that I conceive absolutely necessary for riding or breaking, I have re- marked, except whips, gloves, breeches, boots, and spurs ; these are things that are well known, and fashion would prevail let me recommend what I would. But I think the adjustment of the spur worthy remark, because fashion has invented, and may again invent spurs, and place them in situa- tions truly ridiculous : I am alluding to the straight-necked spur, four inches long, placed as high as the ancle. The situation the spurs should be placed on the heel, occasions the form of the spur M 2 to 154 REMARKS ON UTENSILS to be a consideration. Now the spur should be placed not more than one inch above the heel of the boot, because it should not be liable to touch the horse when you strengthen your seat by the grasp with the calves of the legs, in which situation, if you aid with the leg the toe up as directed, the spur will only scratch, when you drop the toe for that pur- pose. The spur being placed high on the heel, will not only touch the horse when you may not mean it, but likewise hurt your heel, or the leading sinew at the back of the leg, when you give the spur sharp and strong. The situation of the spur thus considered, 1 shall give reasons why the military spur, now generally adopted, is preferable. The neck craned must project from the heel from one inch and a half to two inches, be- cause a less length than this in the situation the spur is placed (for it generally drops lower than I have mentioned,) would render it difficult to give the spur. And the neck is craned USED IN RIDING. 165 craned, to compensate in part for placing it so low on the heel, and to prevent the rowel of the spur touching the ground when you are on foot. The part coming next your heel should be moderately broad, not to in- jure your heel nor boot. These are the conveniences which I thought proper to re- mark, and fashion that does not interfere with them, I cannot object to. The pillows, lines, staffs, &c. for working in hand, and dressing horses to the high and ornamental airs of the manege, will be spoken of as they occur. 166 HORSE-BREAKING. To begin systematically with this part of horsemanship, I shall treat of the first hand- ling a colt. These come to our hands in various states, some from the forest or park in which they were bred, remote from any dwelling, and unaccustomed to be con- strained, or even touched by man ; they are sometimes drove up with other horses, and never had a halter on. Take a review of them in this state, and you will find them perfectly inoffensive and harmless, but fearful and apprehensive, watching you with the greatest jealousy, and not suffering you to approach their heads. The first thing, therefore, to be done, is to render them familiar, and this must be effected with the greatest mildness, caution, and patience. Let them have the company HORSE-BREAKING. 167 company of steady, familiar horses (if those they have been used to, the better) in an open stable or barn; visit them frequently with hay and water, feeding the old horses from your hand, and inviting the colt to par- take; hunger is a great reconciler. In a little time he will approach you with cau- tion and jealousy, and be mindful not to alarm him, but treat him thus gently for a few days till he gets a little confidence, and will let you stroke him. By this means you may get the halter on without much alarm- ing him ; every thing you do creates fresh alarms, particularly if any degree of vio- lence or harshness be used, or even a hasty jattempt made; as the halter is to remain on for some time, fasten it as has been directed. Colts in this state cannot be visited too often, nor handled too much with gentle- ness and caution. The persons officiating in this business should be those accustomed to horses ; such know how to approach, and placing themselves in safe situations, are not alarmed at every little start or struggle the M 4 colt 168 HORSE-BREAKING colt makes. Persons unaccustomed to han- dle colts, first alarm them by their own ap- prehensions, and then the colt, perceiving their fears, will ever practise what he per- ceives deters their approach. You cannot deceive a horse by an assumed boldness; harsh menacing words will not daunt him, much less make him fond and familiar, which is your first aim. Therefore the halter, the stall-collar, the cavison, or whatever you are placing, altering, or adjusting must be done by coaxing and caresses, with all gentle- ness; and they must be handled so light as though they were cobwebs, and you fearful of breaking them, that the colt maynot be alarmed. You will perceive his eye, and w^hole attention is upon you, watching every motion with the greatest jealousy. Those he is most accustomed to, he is least alarmed at, and the fewer about him the better. I prefer being alone to bridle any colt or diffi^ cult horse. Some colts that have been bred at home, housed in winter, fed from the hand, and been HOESE-BREAKING. 169 been the pet of the familj^ are made fami- liar from their earhest days ; these you may handle, with moderate caution, hke old horses: and they sometimes come recom- mended as the tamest, quietest, gentlest creatures that can be; that their boys used to ride them with all safety, and that they wanted no breaking, except teaching them their paces. I dont doubt but such asser- tions were true, but I have frequently found these quiet pets to be the most troublesome and dangerous to break, and I mention it that persons may not be off their guard from such characters and appearances. It is easily accounted for. The colt has been handled and played with, fed from the hand, and made familiar to the whole fa- mily; you may get on the back, ride it on the premises, or with the other horses to w^ater, and the like ; but you are to observe, there is no disagreeable constraint put on the colt, he takes no alarm from the persons he has been accustomed to, feels no confine- ment of crupper, girth, constraint of the bridiCj 170 HORSE-BREAKING bridle, and working him contrary to his in- dinations — No, he goes at his own will, considers himself at play with his intimates, is as proud of being rode as they are of rid- ing, and as they do not press him to any thing that would be disgusting, they do not quarrel. But it is otherwise when he comes to be broke: he is removed from home, has strange persons about him, is confined with longeing-tackle, bent and worked quite con- trary to his will. If he has spirit and incli- nation to resist, he does it more resolute and determined, in proportion as his freedom and familiarity with man have divested him of all respect. The same as you observe in a pet lamb, or fawn ; when they grow up they will butt at any of the family, or face the dogs, contrary to their nature, for before it would flee at the approach of a child or lapdog. Having, by the gentle means prescribed, put on the halter, you by the like methods proceed HORSE-BREAKING. 171 proceed to put on the cavison, and when you effect, (if but in part,) what you aim at, never fail to give a profusion of caresses, and that you may not give the colt any dis- gust, never teaze him too long at a time ; if you succeed ever so little after a tedious trial, it is better to desist for that time, that you may have greater success the next, than worry him till he takes a dislike to you. The cavison being on and properly ad- justed, the throat-band being sufficiently tight to prevent it chaffing the eye (should the colt endeavour to disengage himself,) you can securely hold him by the cavison rein ; nevertheless, be cautious not to pro- voke him by making any such attempt. But when the colt seems to know, and has little confidence in you, which you will perceive by his apparent satisfaction after smelling to 3^ou, you may endeavour to lead him, hold- ing the rein short in your right hand, and the residue coiled in your left ; but this must be done more by invitation than compul- sion, and he should be led kindly: do not fail 172 H ORSE-BREAKING. fail often to stop and caress him, but should any circumstance occur to give him alarm, or his disposition excite him to endeavour to disengage himself, you must be prepared to hold him fast, and so short that he can- not turn his croup towards j^ou, for in that situation you might not be able to hold him, but while his head or side is towards you, you will find he cannot disengage himself. Let him convince himself of this, but by no means provoke or irritate him to further trials; but let his temper subside, and in a short time he will work in circle round you, at the length of the longeing rein; by soft words and a gentle hand, you will soon bring him to a mild temper, and then dont fail to caress him. Should you pursue a different conduct, and irritate him by harshness and severity, because \^ou defy his utmost efforts, you prolong 3^our work b}^ making the colt for a while irreconcileable, and a perseverance in such treatment might so disgust and discou- rage him, that he would not comprehend your HORSE-BREAKING. 173 your will, but only meditate how to defend himself, and thwart your purpose. Mildness, therefore, is alwa3'^s to be pre- served b}^ the horseman, and let the temper of the horse subside of itself, as though j^ou took no notice of it. Treating him in this manner, and letting him work round you for a few days, not fatiguing him too much, but frequently caressing him, you will make him so familiar as to be able to put the bridle and longeing tackle on without much diffi- culty. The like caution and delicacy must be observed in putting on the bridle and longe- ing tackle ; the colt will watch ever}^ motion of you with a jealous eye, and apprehensive mind. Endeavour to dissipate his fears by caresses, and handle every thing so gently as though you were putting them on by stealth. Every hasty motion will startle and alarm him ; and, by the same rule, if you are not conversant with the handling of colts, his motions or starts will alarm you. The time 3 you 174 HORSE-BREAKING. you are engaged in placing and adjusting the bridle and tackle, is well occupied, were it an hour, for your present aim is only to become intimate and familiar with each other. The putting the crupper under the dock requires great precaution, lest he should at- tempt to strike you; you will therefore stand fon^^ard, and distant from his hind quarters to the utmost distance you can reach. Rais- ing the dock with the right hand, while you pass the crupper (being unbuckled for the purpose) under the tail, close up to the croup, and then gently let the tail down, he will then cringe it to his quarters. Should j^ou let the tail go hastilj^, he would take alarm, and most likely set to kicking. The crupper being passed under the dock, buckle it, that it may not disengage itself by the colt raising his tail, or otherwise. This done, you can take all necessary time to clear the hair of the dock from un- der the crupper, passing your fore fmger on each HORSE-BREAKING. 175 each side between the dock and crupper, to be certain that no hair is left to chafe, or make him uneasy. Then raise the crup- per close up to the setting-on of the dock, letting, as before, the tail gently down. You can now adjust the crupper to its pro- per length, which before was lengthened to facilitate your placing it under the dock. In adjusting his longeing-tackle, which com- prises the bridle, and running reins, the rollar and crupper, be mindful at the first to leave every thing moderately loose and easy, that the colt may find no uncomfortable re- straint, jrour first aim being only to reconcile him to them. Work him round you at his own pace in the trot, not compelling him to quicken his pace beyond his inclination ; change him frequently, and work him equal- ly to both hands ; as often as you stop him for that purpose, caress him. And though his tackle being loose, and no ways con- fining, yet move and adjust, to accustom him to be thus treated, when it becomes necessary. I think 176 HORSE-BREAKING. I think it necessary to notice the pf operest places to longe and break hcrses in ; andy though no place is so proper as a rid- ing-house, when fitly constructed, having no abutments or irregularities, whereby a horse might injure or bruise himself or rider, yet as this convenience every one cannot procure, the most suitable place should be chosen for the purpose. If a barn or out-house of any description, having an earthen floor, and not less than thirty feet square, can be procured, it will be a good substitute to longe a colt in. An inclosed place is to be preferred, in order to shut out intruders, and lookers on, two persons being all that are necessary; a greater number tend only to alarm and disturb the colt. Beside, the colt will work kindlier when inclosed by walls, than in an open space, where he would be striving to enlarge his ground, or disen- gage himself; but though a place bounded by walls is desirable, j^et regard must be had to the ground that it is pretty level and secure footing; pavement, or hard gravel being very improper, not only from the in- HORSE-BREAKING. 177 jury it might do the unshod hoof, but the awkwardness and carelessness of colts, to- gether with their intractability, subjects them to occasional stumbles, and sometimes falls, whereby they might receive injury. Soft ground that is not slippery, that does not sink deep, or become miry, is to be preferred; a ploughed field is used by coun- try colt-breakers, but this is highly improper for a colt, as it would fatigue them exces- sively, which should be carefully avoided; besides, on the fairest ground, colts when bent, particularly if you proceed too rapidly in bending them, are liable to strike their inner fore foot, against their outer shank, and thereby occasion bruises and splents. Horses at maturitj^, that have been accus- tomed to level roads about London, and by a slovenly habit go too near the ground, may be improved by longeing on a rough cloddy ploughed field, for we find such horses, if hunted a few times in the winter, by going over all descriptions of ground, lift their feet, and go much better, I do VOL. II. N tiot, "178 HORSE-BREAKING. not, however, recommend it for colts, for reasons before assigned. The colt being somewhat accustomed to his tackle, you will proceed to shorten the reins by degrees; first, that he may feel the smallest confinement from them, and then progressivel}^, till the head is properly sup- ported b}^ the confinement of the reins. But what I term properly supported may be misunderstood, and therefore I must ex- plain. I do not mean to confine the head down, bringing the chin into the chest, as you too fi-equently see done; but merely so to con- fine the head that the colt may feel the effect and operation of the reins, permitting the head to rise, but not to poke out the nose. These things properly understood, and carried into effect in your daily workings, you will observe his fears gradually subside, and HORSE-BREAKING. 179 and he will work so kindly and so gently, that one person that has practised and been accustomed to longe horses singl}^ will do as well as two, and better than with an awkward assistant. You should take notice in what manner the colt carries himself, that j^ou lu'dy adjust the reins accordingly. The different make or formation of the forehand, occasions the head to be carried more or less desira- bly. If the shoulder lie back, and the neck be long and arched, the colt cannot but carry his head in a most desirable place ; but if the shoulder be too upright, the fore- hand will be low ; if the neck be short and straight, the nose will be carried high : there- fore the greater the deformity in the make of the forehand, the more judgment will be required to place the head properly. For, under the circumstances of unfavourable make, you cannot get the nose in without drawing the head down lower than nature intended he should carry it; nor do I con- ceive a horse to go safe with his head in N 2 such 180 HORSE-BREAKING. such a situation. On the other hand, if the head be raised too high, the nose will poke, and the mouth will be fickle, and such horses are extremely unpleasant to those who have not masterly hands. It will therefore be advisable to draw a line between the two extremes, which will be the more natural situation ; and if it is not the more desirable, it will certainly be more proper. These considerations de- termine the manner the reins are to be placed and adjusted ; if the head be carried so high, that the nose and eyes are nearly horizontal, you will buckle the reins low, for the purpose of drawing the nose in ; if the head be carried too low, the reins must be placed high, and passed through the rings affixed to the head-stall of the bridle for that purpose. The most esteemed or desirable situation or position for the horse to carry his head in (when the formation of the forehand will permit it) is the head to be highly elevated, and the nose and forehead in a perpendicular direction. But scarcely a horse HOKSE-BREAKING. {21 horse of the EngHsh breed has a forehand formed by nature to carry it so without drawing the head down from its natural ele- vation. Nature directs the situation or ele- vation that every hoi^e should carry his head, and this wiil be the most pleasant and easy to the horse; and a judicious and skil- ful horseman never attempts to work the head out of its natural position, to achieve one point of excellence at the expence and destruction of every other. By what I have said, I would not be un- derstood that you are negligently to let the horse carry his head abandoned, and unsuj> ported : this would be working a horse to no more purpose, than if he were running loose in the park or common, but to adjust the reins in such manner as will support the head in its most elevated situation, and not for the sake of drawing the nose in to a per pendicular with the forehead, pull the head down with it. To raise the head to its pro- per elevation, is not practicable in the longe, and therefore you have only to guard N 3 ao:ainst 1 82 HORSE-BREAKING. against drawing it down more than may be avoided. Many persons, and some that undertake to break horses, mistake the meaning, de- sign, or intention of longeing a horse, and suppose it only to tire, fatigue, and worry the horse into subjection; such conduct must be carefully avoided. Your first de- sign is to make him familiar, and accustom him to be handled, by putting on, adjusting, and carrying the tackle and bridle. You then proceed, as has been directed, and next to extend him. in the trot, not for the purpose of fatiguing him, but to give him a free extension and use of his limbs. You next proceed to bend him, for the purpose of suppling the shoulders; in short, every part is suppled by these lessons, and the horse capacitated to perform what he otherwise could not. I have seen injudicious persons rein a horse's nose in, beyond where nature intended he should carry it, and thus drawing the head down; to remedy that evil they HORSE-BREAKING. ' 183 they have turned him about in the stall* and having his head buckled up with the stall -reins, let him stand in this manner till the anguish has been so great, that the sweat has rolled off like peas, and run off his hoofs in a stream. A man picketed never stood in more pain, than a horse does thus served. The purpose here aimed at will be better achieved by more mild and gentle methods. For admitting that habit capacitates a horse to carry himself with more ease, in a posi- tion he has been gradually accustomed to, the same as the taylor by custom can sit at his ease with his legs across, so the horse, when properly reined up, as he should be in all his longeing lessons, will gradually have his nose brought in as far as the throp- ple will admit. But this, as I have observed before, must draw the head down; never- theless, it will supple and bend that joint that unites the head to the vertebrae of the neck. N 4 When 1 ^4 HORSE-BREAKING. When you raise the head by lessons, and means hereafter mentioned, the suppUng and bending the joint last spoken of, will capacitate the nose to drop as low as the construction of the forehand will admit. These remarks attentively considered, it will appear that you are not to aim at two opposite things at the same time, i.e. while the nose is confined to any particular point, invitation only, but no compulsion is to be offered on the opposite. Hence, if you support the horse in a bent position with the right rein, the left rein must be comparativelj^ loose, for thereby your intention is fully answered, and the horse will have liberty to move his head for his own ease and refreshment, and likewise to exceed that degree of bend you compel him to. For the more ready acquirement of the young practitioner, I shall make some fur- ther remarks for his observance, when working a colt in the longe. As soon as the colt is sufficiently recon- ciled. KORSE-BREAKING. 185 ciled, so that you can put on or alter his tackle without the necessity of a person standing^ at his head, I ever found it the most convenient to work him alone with- out any assistant (unless in aged or restive horses, where sometimes, by way of facili- tating my work, I have bent or required more than he would patiently submit to) in which case you hold the longeing rein in the hand to which you are working the horse, and the long, or longeing whip, in the other. To set him off, you extend the arm you have the rein in, towards his head, and the other arm and whip as far as you can behind his croup ; as the horse or colt moves, 5^ou move towards his croup, and the horse moves round j^ou. You then, by presenting the whip, and letting the rein slip, and moving, as it were, towards his croup, make him enlarge his ground to ten or twelve yards diameter, you walking a circle from the same centre of about two or three yards diameter, so that the horse moves over about four times the space of ground you do. 1 By 1 86 HORSE-BREAKING. By the representation in the plate, you %yill observe, the horse is from fifty to seven- ty desrrees forwarder on his circle than the man, by which means the man appears to follow or drive the horse; for were you to be in the centre, or on any part of the line from the centre to the horse, the horse Avould not work without an additional hand to follow his croup, and drive him. Nor will the longeing rein operate to so good an effect from the centre, as from the situation I have directed. You must, therefore, be mindful to keep your proper situation, and move as the horse does. If you advance too forward, the horse will stop, and face you, and should he be much bent, he will turn about. If you lag behind on your ground, you will make the horse shift his ground. The horse's eye is always attentive to j^ou, and your eye must be equally attentive to him, or he will break his time, or hesitate in his step, which will throw you out of your proper situation ; the instant you perceive it, pause, and present your body some j^ards be- hind his rear, throwing the lash of the whip 5 to HORSE-BrvEAKlNG. ] 87 to drive him forward, and follow when you find yourself in situation. Should greater disorder take place, it may be expedient to move off' your ground towards his rear, which will place you in proper situation on a different centre; but when the horse works, you can gradually shift to your origi- nal ground. Should the horse face you, or turn about, you will be necessitated to bring him to the centre, and set him off* as at first. While you are giving these first lessons,,. a discerning and discriminating person may discover much of his temper, disposition, constitution, action, capacit}^, and the like, and great attention should be paid to them, as a guide for your manner of proceeding. If his temper be patient, mild, and gentle, be mindful not to take too much of him, be- cause he patiently endures it ; it will make him heavy and dull, in which state you cannot much improve his action or condi- tion. If he be hot or choleric, you must be the more mild and patient : never think of 188 HORSE-BREAKING. of cooling his temper by irritating and tiring it out; he will become temperate, if you take no notice of it. If j^ou perceive him to plunge and try to extricate himself from you, and break his tackle, you should of course proceed with the greater caution, and be mindful that every part of the tackle is firm and sound, for should he once succeed, it will encourage him to make other trials. You have only to let him convince himself, and by no means correct or punish him, but proceed in your lesson without taking notice of it. The fatigue of his exertion and his disappointment will deter him from a future trial. If you perceive his constitution hardy, and his condition strong, you may demand freely in moderation of him ; but if you find him weakly and faint, treat him with more moderation, and require less. To convey an idea to first practitioners, who are fond of amusing themselves with breaking their horses, and consequently are apt to jade and tire them too much, I do not exceed fifteen or twenty minutes in giving a weakly HORSE-BREAKING. 189 a weakly horse a lesson, and do not demand any violent exertion from him : nor is it ne- cessary to take more than half an hour with hardy constitutions, in condition. This may appear strange to persons unacquainted with scientific riding, who suppose, that while their horses are in breaking, they cannot be rode too much; but while a lesson is giving, we demand great exertion, or else their at- tention and performance, out of their un- confmed natural way of going, which occa- sions the horse's mind to be variously agitated, produce frettings, reluctance, un- willingness, disobedience, resistance, and the like. And when a horse is thus agitated and provoked under a defective hand, and injudicious horseman, it produces violent resistance, vicious defences, obstinate res- tiveness, &c. But I beg to be understood, that I do not account riding him on the road, af- ter giving him his lesson, for the purpose of cooling him, or to accustom him to the sight of various objects, any part of his ig() HORSE-BREAKING. his lesson ; because we demand no exertion, but do it to ease and refresh him after vio- lent exercise. For, strange as it may ap- pear to some, were I to draw the utmost ex- ertion from a horse for half an hour every day, and that in a space of only twelve yards square, I could kill the strongest horse in the kingdom. Hence, when we are ne- cessitated to exceed moderation with restive horses, who will contend to the utmost, and defend themselves till they are defeated at every point before we can obtain a partial submission, we perceive that the whole sys- tem is relaxed and weakened, and the horse will make but a feeble resistance the next day ; and should you inij^rudently retaliate, and draw as great an exertion irom him as before, you may perceive he will be off his feed, his body tucked up, his hide bound, and coat stare. When the horse is thus sick, you see the necessity of leaving off; but ju- dicious horsemen are aware of these conse- quences, and never require a rigid obedience or great exertion, till the horse has recovered sufficientlj^ to bear it. His HORSE-BREAKING. 191 His action and manner of going should be attended to : if he go near behind the longeing, bending will assist him to go wider ; but if he go near before, you must be cautious in bending him, lest he should rap his shanks in crossing his legs. You must be mindful to keep him in a true and regular trot, requiring him to extend him- self to the utmost before you bend him to any extreme, and invite him to raise his head b}^ frequently shaking the longeing rein, particularly if you see he lolls his head down, bearing on the bit. You should fol- low him with the lash of the whip, requesting and pressing him on, but not to urge him to gallop ; in throwing the lash lightly for thia purpose, sometimes at his hind quarters, an(J sometimes at his flank and shoulders, you will perceive his most tender place, which will be your aim when you require his most ready observance. Should he kick at any of these requests of the whip, you should make him sensible of his fault by striking him hard by way of correction : he will soon perceive his error, and abandon it. I have ig^ HORSE-BREAKING. I have met with colts of high breeding, that at their first longeing did not move the faster for the whip, though given pretty- smartly, but hung their ears, and looked completely foolish. This is by no means a bad sign; it indicates a mild and patient temper, and proceeds from their not com- prehending what it means; treat them mild- ly, and in a short time they ^^^ll understand you, and be as obedient as you can desire. The time it may take before it would be prudent to mount a colt, can only be deter- mined by the temper, tractability, and dis- position. Some acquire confidence, and work kindly, becoming familiar, gentle, and supple sufficient to mount in the space of three weeks or a month. Others appear very mistrustful, and work with hesitation and tardiness, consequentl}^ do not bring themselves forward to extension and supple- ness; some have tempers and dispositions that take two months or more to recon- cile them to discipline, shewing impa- tience, and disposition to rebel. Such you must HORSE-BREAKING. J 93 must be very circumspect with, require no more than they can with ease perform, and though you must insist on that, use coercive measures without severity; be content with gaining your point, and let not the ill-tem- per and reluctance the horse works with, move your resentment. Be perfectly good- humoured yourself, and the horse will the sooner become so too. When a horse becomes familiar to handle, works and extends himself freely in the longe, has been moderately bent to both hands, it will then be proper to mount him; but a week previous to this, he should take his longeing-lessons with the saddle on that you may intend to ride him with, to accus- tom him to it, and the dangling of the stir- rups; when you halt, for the purpose of changing and altering the reins, take occa- sion of patting the saddle, pulling or snap- ping the stirrup-leathers, trying with your hands to swag or move the saddle, and the like; as he becomes reconciled to these you next prepare to mount, by taking the reins VOL. II. o ^ and 194 HORSE-BREAKING. and main in band, and handling the stirrup. If he moves, or shifts his ground, patiently sooth and coax him, till you succeed in getting him to stand. By degrees he will suffer you to stand upright in the stirrup, for which you must caress and make much of him ; and repeat this till you find his jea- lousy and fears in some measure subsided. Thus far you can proceed without an as- sistant, but it would be as well if the person who is to mount or attend you, were pre- sent, that the colt may be familiar to his person and attendance. ON FIRST MOUNTING A COLT. A COLT prepared in that progressive man- ner I have directed, may be expected pa- tiently to submit to carry his rider. But the greatest precaution is advisable with the most kindly, and those who have shewn a perverseness of temper, every possible pre- caution is necessary. You will begin his 6 lesson HORSE-BREAKING. 195 lesson as usual, giving him a longeing to both hands, not bending him more, but rather less than he has been accustomed to, that no particular constraint may crab or sour his temper. The intention of this longeing is to take oif the eagerness and spirit which horses that are in condition dis- play, at the first coming out of the stable. And when he works cool and steady, he is fit to be mounted. The persons who assist at the first mount- ing, should be those that are familiar with the colt, and conversant with the business. Much depends on the issue of the first con- test, should such an occurrence happen, and a person who is timid and fearful can render no assistance if it should be wanted. There is no danger with the most resolute horses, in the hands of able and skilful men, but the temerity of unskilful men, leads them into imminent danger. The business of the person who officiates on foot, which should be the m.aster, if he has a person competent to ride, because more depends o 2 on 196 HOKSE-BREAKING. on his judicious management than the per- son who rides, is to place himself before the head of the colt, having the cavison rein coiled in his left hand, and the longeing whip likewise, and to sooth or caress the colt while the person is mounting. The colt's eyes will be leering back, watching every motion of the rider. The person who mounts, must do it with the greatest gentleness, as any rough or abrupt motions will cause the colt to start, or shift his ground; you therefore, as it were, steal by degrees, and amuse him by repeatedly rais- ing yourself in the stirrup, and retiring, be- fore you put your leg across ; when you are crossing your leg, be mindful not to touch any part of his hind quarters, nor the crup- per, or cantel of the saddle, but place your- self lightly in the saddle. Adjust your clothes, and separate the reins one in each hand. You are to set quite loose, not to let j^our legs touch, nor thighs pinch, and your body without motion, waiting a little to see the humour and disposition of the colt. If he sets up his back, and cringes his tail, wait prepared HORSE-BREAKING. 197 prepared for his plunging, but take no firm hold with your legs before you iind the ne- cessity, lest by increasing your alarm you prompt him to it. The person at his head, by patting and soothing, may divert him, and he may in half a minute be apparently reconciled, standing in a watchtiil, sulky mood. When this has somewhat subsided, the person at his head may invite him to move, leading him round in circle to the left, being the handiest for him, holding short by the cavison rein, and watching the mood or temper he is in. If his tail is up, and he moves gently, without much hesitation, they are good omens. If he blows his nostrils, it is a certain sign of good- humour. Under these circumstances the per- son at his head, may, by degrees, lengthen his rein, and give more liberty ; but as the cavison rein is lengthened, the rider may delicately collect his reins to feel his mouth, and lightly support him. The unequal and hesitating step of a colt o3 at 198 HORSE-BREAKING at his first breaking, together with the loose seat it is proper you should take, occasions the body to sway about, which may be alarming to a young practitioner, and I men- tion it that he may not take alarm before the colt, for that might induce the colt to try to extricate himself from the rider. But with all the care and precaution that can be taken, there are some dispositions and tem- pers that will not submit without an effort. Yet, after two or three unsuccessful contests, they are sure to yield. This shews the ne- cessitj^ that none but competent persons should undertake this part of the business, for if the horse once succeeds in his at- tempts, he w^ill make repeated trials, and repeated success will make him difficult to break, and useless, except to those who have superior abilities to manage him. — Hence proceeds restive horses. I never heard of a colt that I had the breaking of) ever being restive, but I have had a gTcat number of restive horses to break, and though they become perfectl}^ so obedient to me as never to shew a symptom of restive- ness. HORSE-BREAKING. 199 ness, yet I could not warrant that they would not become restive again when rode by unskilful horsemen. The precautions, therefore, that 1 give, I hope will not be thought frivolous, and should the colt reso- lutely set to plunging, the rider, on his part, has only to keep his seat, and for this pur- pose he must take the firmest hold with the calves of his legs, and keep the body back, endeavouring to keep the horse's head up. Should you have a mistrust that the colt will plunge, which those conversant with horses will pretty well discern or foresee, it will be advisable to have the reins received through the rings affixed to the headstall of the bridle, which will assist to keep his head up, without your raising your hands. For he will fn^t attempt to force your hands, to get his head, and if your hands are high, and he forces them, your body will be forced forward with them, and then you will be in danger of being thrown ; if the colt gets his head down, by suddenly forcing the hand, he may fall with plunging. To pre- o 4 vent 200 HORSE-BREAKING. vent and deter him as much as possible, the person on foot should have the cavison rein short in hand, and check him by it ; and if he can seize hold of the cheek of the bit with his right hand, he has power to shake his head up, and prevent his violent plung- ing. Persons conversant in this business, I have observed, can perceive what the horse meditates, and consequently are prepared, and ready to take the advantage at the instant, and prevent disaster and mis- chief. When the colt has made his effort, and perceives himself defeated, he stands still to take breath, for if he has liberty he plunges as long as he can hold his breath, swelling himself to burst the girths, and break the crupper, and he of necessity leaves off when his wind is exhausted. You are neither to correct nor sooth him for this, but let him stand a minute to take breath, and recollect himself; if he chooses another trial, you must be prepared to check the violence of it; but you are not by anger or menace to • provoke HORSE-BREAKING. 201 provoke it, any more than you are to sooth or caress him for faults. When he is convinced and defeated, he will naturally appear vexed and disappointed, and you cannot expect him to work with much good -humour for that day ; nevertheless you must lead him in circle, and be prepared should he attempt to make another trial. By mildly treating him, j^ou will perceive his sulkiness and ill-humour gradually dimi- nish, and you will meet his contrition with good-humour and confidence, relaxmg the strictness with which you hold him, and giving him some liberty of rein in propor^ tion as he becomes reconciled. It should be a standing rule always to finish a lesson at a period when you have obtained at least a partial obedience, and become a little reconciled, that you may part friendly, and meet in good- humour next day. It may be some consolation to know that a horse repeatedly defeated, will give up the contest after two or three days trial, 1202 HORSE-BREAKING. trial, and the first is the most violent, and the last a very feeble one. But what I term a defeat of the man, some people will not acknowledge, for they do not allow themselves defeated, because they do not decline the contest, but repeat it day after day, though every day defeated. The horse acknowledges his defeat by his submission, as soon as he is convinced the superior address of the horseman prevents the design he meditated, and that it is far more easy to obey than contend ; in which case, if you accept of that submission, and not provoke his temper by exulting severity and cruel abuse, he will be ever after obe- dient; or should he at times shew a dispo- sition to rebel, the effect of a masterly hand brings him to his recollection without com- ing to a disputed contest. Having explained the general behaviour of colts, and the manner of treating them on their first backing, I have to observe, that the same mode and precautions must be HORSE BREAKING. 203 be continued for several days, till he appears somewhat reconciled, and goes quietly at the full length of the longeing rein, and feels the opt- ration of the hands, and can be turned and directed by them. When such progress is made thus far, you will finish your lesson with unbuckling the cavison- rein, and riding him at large ; you will still find him extremely awkward, and what we term coltish, for a length of time, but no- thing but appropriate lessons will take off the first, and much riding the latter. In riding a horse for improvement, you have ahvays something in view, and your first object is to make him feel and compre- hend the operations of the hand, and re- quests of the legs. For this purpose j^ou begin b}^ giving him the requests of the legs, and if he does not obey so ready as you could wish, you must attribute it to his not fully comprehending you : therefore, teach him with patience and mildness, by giving the requests stronger, and assisting him by slight taps with the whip, which he may sooner 204 HORSE-BREAKING. sooner comprehend, but by no means use the spurs till he is more reconciled to be rode, under some government of the hands | and heel. It is best not to wear spurs with a colt, till it becomes proper and necessary that you should use them. The action being thus produced, you receive him in hand with all delicacy, and now the operation of the hand not bemg rightly comprehended, occasions a hesitating unequal step. You now ride him in a moderate trot, the hand feeling every advance, and endeavouring to bring the mouth to correspond with the hand in a true and just appui ; with the generality of colts you have to apply the legs very often, to press them into the hands to form the mouth. And there are some few with low and heavy forehands, that would be heavy on the hand, and dead in the mouth. This you must in no wa3^s suffer, but divert them from it by moving the bit, by the alternate opening and shutting of the fingers, and rais- ing your hand a little to invite them to raise the HORSE-BREAKING. 205 the head, the legs pressing the action at the same time. The subject of riding has been so fully treated on, that it would be super- fluous to say any more. The previous longeing before his lesson, may be discontinued, when you fmd the colt steady, and reconciled to be rode. ON BENDING AND SUPPLETNG STIFF AND AGED HORSES, The working and bending horses in circle is so exceedingly necessary, that the most gentle horses that have been rode for years, are to be put to it, when brought to a master for improvement or tuition. It becomes, therefore, a question, whether it would not be best to ride them in these circular lessons, than to longe them. This depends on cir- cumstances: if the horse is young, and has been in some measure bent at his original breaking, longeing might be dispensed with, because it brings the head down. But when horses 206 HORSE-BREAKING. horses get to six and seven years old, and have never been properly bent, they may be very stiff, and shew great reluctance to be bent, and would take much longer time and fatiguing labour to the rider. In this case, it would be advisable to longe them; nevertheless the lesson may be finished with riding, to prevent the head from being ha- bitually drawn down. Various devices are practised to bend and supple these descriptions of horses: one is, a tall and powerful man on foot taking a rein short in each hand, and walking a circle of about two or three yards diameter, bend- ino: the horse inwards, wbile another follows the horse pressing him forward, and making him form a circle of two threads without the man, the hind feet forming the larger circle. This is the lesson of the shoulder within worked in hand, in a compulsive and irre- gular manner, and is intended to keep the head up, and bend and supple the horse at the same time. But, as I observed, the man must be tall and powerful in proportion to the horse, or he cannot accomplish it. Another HORSE-BREAKING. 207 Another method I have seen, which was the assistance of two pieces of wood, made in the form of a St. Andrew's cross : the two lower arms of which, were shaped to fix on the saddle, and fastened by a girth ; the elevated arms had buckles or loops, to fasten the reins to. Thus the reins operated in as high a situation as the hands of a rider. I am extremely obliged to the in- ventor, whoever he was, for the idea, and with the alterations I here recommend, I think it will fully answer the purpose in- tended, and make a necessary utensil in the riding-house. The alterations I purpose are, that instead of the upper arms of the cross, there rise a spindle from the centre, and on that spindle should be fixed two movable arms, one long, the other short, which may be raised or lowered, and turned to that situation which you would desire the reins should operate from, and there made fast by a screw. It 208 HORSE-BREAKING. It would be a further improvement, if to the end of each arm were fixed a spring ; none would be better than a worm-spring, similar to the pocket- spring steel -yards, which may be made to yield not more than one inch, and cannot be strained beyond it. This would soften the operation of the reins, and give an effect like unto the fmgers. — Those who have attentively read the pre- cepts I have given for riding, will observe that the situation of the hands are conform- able to the position of the horse, and conse- quently when the horse is bent, the outer hand is carried forward in proportion to that bend, to prevent the rein from pressing the neck, which would direct the horse within his ground. This shows the propriety of having the arms to move, and I think, with the plate I have given, it may be thoroughly comprehended. But persons who are not continually in the habit of breaking horses, will not, most likely, be provided with an article of this kind, and the readiest and best method is for PIORSE-BREAKING. 209 for them to supple and bend in hand, without confining the head down, is to loose the outer rein, to give the head hberty to bend inward, take the inner rein only in hand, at the length of three or four feet, and raising the hand as high as you find necessar}^, drive the horse round you. These methods of bending and working the head up at the same time, are proper to commence a lesson before riding, with horses that have been previously bent in the longe before, or such as are not required to be much bent, and work kindl}^, and bend freely, to the degree required. But a horse that is exceedingly stiff, it is expedient to longe, and bend by making the inner rein fast to the crupper, working him equally to both hands, bending him by degrees as you fmd he can bear it. To facilitate work with these stiff horses, you may finish your lesson occasionally .by bending him to a greater extreme (to the hand you perceive him most stifi') and let him stand and amuse himself on the bit for a quarter of an hour, leaving the outer rein comparativel}' loose, and taking the longeing VOL. II. p rein 210 HORSE-BREAKING. rein off, thus j^ou leave him at one end of the riding-house, while you are working at the other. Though that caution and delicacy which I have prescribed in handling of colts, may not be nec-essary with horses that have been familiar with Vvork, yet you must be mindful of not proceeding too rapidly with them, particularly by bending them too much at a time, or continuing your bent lessons too long, but change frequentty, which is a relief to the horse, when bent as far as he can bear. When a horse has been sufficiently ex- tended, suppled, and bent in the longe by the action of the trot, which is the foundation of all paces, he may be put to the gallop in the longe, but not before. When, there- fore, 5^ou intend to put him to the gallop, vou must give him but a moderate bend to let the croup in, and extend his trot till you press him to the gallop. If he has been sup- pled to both hands, he will take the proper leg. HORSE-BREAKING. 211 leg. But should he be in any manner false, check him, and proceed again. It many times happens, that a horse is brought to a master to be made to gallop with the right foot, and some of these that have come to my hands, I should judge, had never been bent, and only longed to the left hand, which is certainly the readiest to a pei-son not accustomed to the business, and ^aw not the necessity of longeing to both hands. These horses should be more particularly bent, and worked in the trot to the left, to retain the left shoulder and ex- tend the right, and when he is suiiiciently suppled, put him to the gallop to the right without bending him ; practise him to that, and he will take the right leg verv freely. I cannot conclude the subject of longeing without observing, it is so beneficial for horses, that to the daj^ of their death, when it is necessary to give them exercise for want of other work, circle -riding should not be neglected. . p 2 The 212 nORSE-B:REAKlNG. The borse being previously longed for the purposes explained and directed, j^ou ride bini for tbe purpose of making bis moutb, teaching him obedience to tbe aids, uniting and extending him suitable to tbe purposes he is intended for. You will have no diffi- cult\' in doing this, for your own riding, but vou may have much diflicuity to please tbe person he ma}' be intended for. For per- sons Avho have been long in tbe habits of riding, vrill not be satisfied with the horse being properly broke, if it does not coitcs- pond with their system and ideas of riding. It is, therefore, expedient to know the quality of the horseman he is intended for, and make the horse to his hand, if you wish to give satisfaction, for j^ou would be throw- ing time away, and get displeasure likewise, if you teach the horse a science unknown to his master; this being considered, you pro- ceed to make the mouth and teach the aids, by riding in an extended trot in all the figures applicable to the pace and progress the horse makes, such as round the house, circling at each end, long change, large J change. HOKSE-BHEAKING. 213 change and serpentine figures, in this pace yon must press him into a full and strong appui. Your reins separated, and hands near together, and circle and change b\^ the proper aids of the body and legs, giving no more assistance with the inner rein, than vou fmd necessary to effect your purpose, that j^ou ma\^ teach him to comprehend the aids, and obey the pressure of the outer rein. — You should make frequent halts at uncertain and unexpected places, when at liis full ex- tension, pulling him together sudden and sharp, but judiciously, lest you should sprain his houghs or fetlocks hy violence ; there- fore, feel how read}?" he obeys before you apply too much strength ; this is to bring him into the obedience of the hand, and to bend and supple the haunches and houghs, and will enable the horse to unite himself when you require it of him. Be sure to close your legs, to keep the haunches straight and under, and perfect the stop, making him rein a step backward, be- fore you advance again. This lesson should p3 be 214 HORSE-BREAKING. be continued till you find the correspond- ence between the hand and mouth is esta- bhshed in obedience, and a just appui. You must not expect an exact obedience to the aids of the body, if you ride with running reins, because one part of the rein is stationary to the saddle, and is not carried by the body ; therefore, a partial obedience to the aid must be assisted by the inner hand, and with this you must be content till time and much good riding, has made him susceptible of the lightest touches, and most delicate correspondence of the aids. Never- theless, if you ride with a bit or single-reined snaffle, an obedience is to be required, par- ticularly if the aids are given full and strong. Colts in general are light in hand, and will require to be pressed into the hands by the frequent application of the legs or whip. The hand and correspondence giving that strength ofappin, agreeable to the extension and disunion the colt works in. Horses that have been improperly rode, and some few colts. HORSE-BREAKING. g 1 5 colts, with heavy forehands, will bear and loll upon the hand, and destro}^ all appui. This you must prevent, by moving the bit, shaking the reins, and correcting with the hand, as directed in a former part of this work : making them carry their heads up, and not suffering them to loll on the bit, the hand will soon give them an appui; for, as I have observed, without an appui there can be no ready obedience. It frequently happens that colts and aged horses, and those not of bad dispositions will shew a reluctance and disobedience, particularly at circling, expressing a desire to go their own way, rather than yours. — When these occurrences happen, it should be an invariable rule to insist (as far as you can) on their obedience, and repeat it till you obtain a more ready compliance. But should the horse be prepared resolutely to defend himself on that point, so that it would be doubtful whether you could com- pel him, change your attack immediately to the opposite point, where you take him so p 4 sudden 216 HORSE-BREAKING. sudden that he is not prepared. And thus, whenever you perceive he ipeditates miy defence, baffle his intentions by taking him by surprise. The most trifling thing will often put him off his purpose ; speaking to him tauntingly, letting him know you are aware of his in- tention, giving him a pat of the ear with your open band, or holding your hand out to him, will sometimes deter him. Any thing that indicates you are aware of his in- tention, or takes him by surprise, is likely to put him by. But whenever he obsti- natel}^ contends, change the attack, and be- fore he can defend himself on that point, suddenly put him to that he before refused ; when he fmds himself thus baffled, he will of necessity comply, and give up future contention. HORSE-BREAKING. 217 PROGRESSIVE METHOD OF UNITING A HORSE. Progress having been made as directed in the preceding chapters, the horse will have been extended, suppled, the corres- pondence established, an appid formed, whereby the horse comprehends and be- comes obedient to the controul and direction of the hands, you must proceed to unite, or what some term putting a horse together. Every horse should be united more or less, agreeable to the purposes for which he is in- tended, or the system and manner of the person's riding he is designed for. It may be asked, if you exceed a necessary degree of union, whether it would be a detriment or injury to the horse? To this I answer — none, excepting the horse is intended for trotting-matches, and then little or no union is necessar}^, and uniting him might subject him to retain himself, and cause him to break into the gallop; but in other instances, if 218 HORSE-BREAKING. i( you exceed a necessaiy degree of union, you only give yourself unnecessary trouble, for the horse that is intended for a hackney or a hunter, does not require to be united so much as the military and manege horse. And the person who has not attained or taken pleasure in the scientific part, or ma- nege riding, will not admire a high-drest manege horse till he has reduced or let the horse down to a level with his own system, and mode of riding. Let us consider the intention and utility of uniting a horse. Uniting a horse is bending the haunches, and pressing them forward, or more under the horse, w^hereby a larger portion of the weight is sustained by them, and the forehand thus much re- lieved and elevated ; this gives elegance to the figure, distributes the weight more equall}^ causes the action to be higher before, and makes the horse go safer in all his slow paces : the horse being thus more equal on his legs, can, with more ease and facility, move backward, sideways, turn to either HORSE-BREAKING. 2 1 9 cither hand on his own ground, halt at the instant required, and the hke, which horses disunited cannot rcadilj' perform ; and this makes it essentialh^ necessary that mihtary and manege horses should he the more united, and capacitated to yield a ready obedience to what is taught and required of them. There are a variety of methods used to press a horse to the union, many of which I would not recommend persons to attempt, who have not by long practice acquired judgment and patience equal to the attempt; for an injudicious, passionate, or hasty per- son, will not only fail in his purpose, but will spoil and drive the horse into all manner of defences, vice, and resistance ; in all con- tentions of this kind that I have witnessed, the cause had originated b}^ the indiscretion of the man, who had required what his awk- wardness would not permit the horse to per- form, or perhaps insisted on compliance be- fore the horse comprehended his lesson ; or demanding more at a time than the horse 5 could 220 HOKSE-BREAKINC. could comply with, or patientlj'^ submit to. These imprudences drive the horse to re- sistance, and this resistance provokes a hasty or violent temper, (that will not coolly exa- mine into causes, and be ready to acknow- ledge and correct his own errors, before those of the horse,) to proceed to violence, which seldom or ever effects any good, but often spoils a good and valuable horse. — These hints, I hope, will be attended to, and induce young practitioners to be cau- tious and certain there is no error on their part, before they blame, or require comj^li- ance from the horse . Riding a horse to the union, will be found adequate to unite as far as is necessary, for horses that are not required to be drest higher than a military horse should be, and this method being least confining to the horse, you can proceed in the most mild and progressive manner, therefore it is to be preferred for general use, and before other methods are attempted. You IIORSE-BllEy\KING. 221 You begin your lessons to unite, by ex- tending the horse out to his full trot, and then endeavouring to keep up the action by the requests of the legs, and the several ani- mations, while the hands retain the horse and shorten the step. This, like every other lesson, must he worked upon gra- dually: if you proceed too last, 30U will flurr}^, confuse, and discourage the horse, and provoke him to resistance; be, there- fore, content with winning on the horse by little and little, and yoii will succeed in time to your satisfaction. The operation of the iiands is to this effect: you strengthen the appui for the purpose of retaining the horse, the hand at the same time inviting the fore- hand to lighten by an imperceptible elevated operation, and a yielding softness in the fingers, as the horse yields to the solicitation of the hand. The animations and requests of the legs, at the same time, are to keep up the action, and press the haunches under, otherwise the retention of the hand would shorten the pace, without producing any union; therefore, an exact conformity of operation 222 HORSE-BREAKING. operation muse take place with both hands and heel, to produce the desired effect. "^^ou may work on circles and straight lines, and make what changes j^our fancy may direct, keeping in view the object of raising and lightening the forehand, and pressing the haunches under; as the horse becomes united and obedient, you will work him in the lesson of the shoulder w^ithin, and likewise croup in, and then put him to the gallop. Till a horse has acquired a degree of union, he is not qualified to gallop in a confined space, nor can he readily be put to it but at an extended pace. Some horses, from their structure and make, have a disposition to unite them- selves; others have more fu'm or closer joints, that V. ill not so readily bend and become pliant; others, from long habit in being rode in the extended paces, reluctantly unite themselves; in occurrences of this kind, the stop frequently repeated at the height of extension and animation, suddenly pulling them HORSE-BREAKING. 223 them together at unexpected periods and places, will supple and bend the houghs and haunches, and bring the horse light and obedient in hand : the horses that require this are strong and close-knit in the joints, which admits of such procedure, but horses that are weak in the pastern fetlocks or houghs, seldom require it, and must not be thus treated. When Iiorses reluctantly or tardily unite themselves, a person following with a whip, animating and pressing the haunches for- ward, while the rider moderately retains the shoulders, will facilitate your work; but great discretion, and judicious application of the whip must be observed ; if the holding up of the whip presses and works the liaunches a degree more than they per- formed without such aid, be therev/ith satis- fied, and aim not to effect at once, what would take a week or a month with judi- cious management to accomplish, lest you provoke the horse to defend himself, and resist all your endeavours to compel him, for 224 HORSE-BREAKING. for horses are to be first taught, and then invited or won to perform; for it is bad work to strive to compel, nor can it be done by compulsion, as a restive horse de- monstrates; for if he refuses to go forward, all your whipping and spurring will not compel him, and it is by your relinquishing that point, and changing your attack, that baffles his defences, and causes him to yield. The hands of a person giving a rough horse a lesson, has licence to deviate from the precise situation that is laid down for riding a proper- dressed horse, or one that is properly broke agreeable to the circum- stances that may require it ; hence, if the horse carries his head too low, and does not readily bring it up with the usual invitation, and operation of the hands, the hands may be raised to operate more effectivelj^ and the lingers of each hand (the reins being se- parated) b}' alternately moving, will move the snaffle in the mouth, and thereby deter him from bearing or lolling upon it ; horses that IIORSE-BREAKING. 225 that require this, are generally of low, thick, and heavy forehands, or such as have heen Jong rode by persons with a dead and heavy hand, such horses often require strong and severe operation from the fingers, and fre- quently corrections of the hand (as has been explained) before you can bring them to an effective appui, or light obedience to the hand. A twisted snaffle is appropriate for horses of hardened and callous lips, and consequently would facilitate the work. — The hands, though the reins are separated, must not be carried too wide apart ; what I mean by wide apart is, that the outer rein may not operate distant from the horse's neck, that the proper aids of the body may cause them to operate by pressure, and should young or raw horses not readily obey, you must be mild and patient, giving your aids a stronger effect than would be necessary to a drest horse, and assisting a little with the inner hand, but no more than will effect the turn or direction you intended, leaving the principal stress on the pressure, by which the horse will in a short time com- yOL. i\. Q. prebend 226 HORSE-BREAKING. prehend the meaning of such aids and pres- sure, and become obedient to them ; when- ever you work on the horse's understanding, you must be slow, patient, and mild, giving the horse time to reflect and comprehend you ; it is proper to finish his daily lesson by putting him to the obedience of the hand and aids, as directed to finish the lessons on the aids, in vol. i., page 111. This brings me to speak on reining back. Reining back with ease and facility, is in consequence of the union, and such horses as have been properly broke, rein back with the lightest pressure of the fingers, and are completely balanced on their legs; while others, whose haunches have never been suppled nor united, but rode by heavy in- sensible hands, \n\\ not back with all the strength of the rider and powers of the bit ; such have occasionally been sent to me for the only purpose of being made to rein back. Without, therefore, going through the pro- cessof bending, suppling, and uniting, which, perhaps would not have rendered the horse more HORSE-BREAKING, 227 more agreeable to his owner, I have taught them to rein back by the usual invitation of the hand to raise the head, and not per- mitting them to bear a dead weight on the bit ; the legs pressing the haunches under, while the hand prevents the shoulders from advancing, should the fore -feet be lifted, the operation of the fingers draws it back ; and if you can by mildness, and playing with his mouth in this manner, effect a step or two backward, the horse will soon com- prehend you, and in a little time become obedient to the more mild operation of the hands, but no violence or strength of pull is to be attempted ; if j^ou succeed in gaining a few steps, though with difficulty and re- luctance, be therewith content, and refrain from teazing him before he thoroughly com- prehends your meaning, which would occa- sion him to resist, and more violently de- fend himself When ineffectual attempts have been made, by violence and strength, to force the horse back, which is commonly the case 2 Q before v% $28^ horse-Breaking. before they are brought to a master, it i» advisable to have a person to assist, and -rein him back in hand; the one placing himself before the horse with a rein in each hand, raises the head, and strong I3' invites him to back by pressing and yielding of the hand; if he defends himself against it, and will not move, the other must aid with whip or switch on the fore legs, irritating him to move them, and the operation of the hand will then compel it backward, tlie hand yielding as the horse complies ; a mo- derate obedience is sufficient for the first time, for which caress him, and you will have a more ready obedience the next day, and, in a short time, a perfect obedience to ^Ue moderate pressure of the fingers. The horse acquires union by being worlc- ed in such lessons as requires union; of these, reining back is one ; the stop another, for which the stop is frequently repeated in his lesson; and to brin^ the horse into ready obedience to stop on the haunches, as often' as it is defective, rein him back a step or two IIORSE-BREAKING. 229 two, to bring the haunches under, before you proceed. The passage requires more union than the trot, consequently putting a horse to the passage contributes to unite him; some horses, I have observed, unite themselves so freely, that they require no more than the riding with a good hand, to bring them to any degree of useful excellence ; but it is expedient to work some in a more con- strained or confined manner, such as the various methods of working horses in hand, pillars, &c. The one I am now going to mention is particularly adapted for making a horse pass sideways to the right and left, to unite him to the time and action of the passage, and is to be applied under the fol- lowing circumstances : — When the horse- man is not critically correct in every part, whereby the effect in a manner is almost irresistible ; for every man, although a good horseman, cannot attain this degree of ex- cellence, and a horse that works reluctant!}^ under these constrained lessons, will take Gi 3 advantage ^30 HORSE-BREAKING advantage of a defective feeble hand, till practice has rendered the lesson easy and familiar to him. It is likewise advisable to adopt this method with those horses that are inclined to be perverse, and oppose de- fences against the restrictions of the hand, when first nut to this lesson, and the work- ing him in hand removes the main object of his defence. A person accustomed to work a horse in the following manner, maj^ make shift with- out an assistant, if the horse is not very- awkward and perverse, but an assistant will be best with young practitioners; begin, therefore, with placing the horse's head to the V all ; the inner rein is always that to which you are working, — if to the right, take the inner rein in your right hand, at such length as will support the horse when the hand rests on the neck, just above the withers, where it is to be placed for that purpose; the left hand will take the feft rein quite short, as that will be found most convenient, for the purpose of leading the shoulders HORSE-BREAKING. 231 shoulders, or staying them, as may be found necessary. The assistant places himself at a horse's length distant from the wall, and follows with the whip or switch to animate or request the action ; proceed slowly, lett- ing the shoulders lead about eighteen inches forwarder on their lines than the croup; and till the horse comprehends that he is to pass sideways, require no more action than the horse voluntary gives ; passing thus from end to end of the riding-house, or any other con- venient wall, at which place shift yourself to his off-side, and work back again ; it is to be observed that the hands (if the reins are pro- perly adjusted) will have to retain the shoul- ders, letting them advance no faster than the croup; but should you place or drive the croup too forward, the shoulders will be stopped, and you cannot proceed till you have led the shoulders on, and the horse is correctly placed on the lines he is to work. When the horse comprehends the manner he is to work, request more action and union; the wall will greatly assist j'ou, by preventing the horse from forcing the hand Q 4 to '232 HORSE-BREAKING. to advance forward ; nevertheless, some horses will defend themselves against the hand, and pass rapidly along the wall with- out uniting themselves, and, as it were, running away with you ; in this case, adjust the reins to operate as high as you can, by passing the reins through the rings affixed to the head-stall of the bridle for that pur- pose, and let the assistant place himself more behind the horse, to press the haunches more under, than driving them fast ; by* these means, if judiciously applied, j^ou will bring the horse to pass side^va3"s with free- dom and ease, and unite himself to the true air, action, and time of the passage. The uniting a horse in one pace, will greatly facilitate his union in everj^ other; uniting the trot will, therefore, contribute much to the uniting the gallop, and you Avill not fnid it difficult to put him to the gallop by the usual method of retaining the shoul- ders, and pressing the haunches under, till they rise in the action of the gallop ; but till ^a horse is somewhat united, you are neces- sitated / IIORSE-BEEAKING. 235 sitated to extend his trot, till you urge him to galloj). Putting the horse to gallop, you unite it b}^ urging a continued animation, which proceeds principally from the vigour, spirit, and animation of your muscles, and though in other paces and airs the anima- tion proceeds through the same channel, it does not appear so vigorous and conspicuous as in the gallop, because j^ou are obliged to circumscribe j^ourself to bounds, lest j'ou should alter the action from the trot to the gallop, or break the time of the air you may be working upon ; but, in the gallop, your extreme animation will only exhaust the horse the sooner, consequently you do much in a little time. But I caution you against these two things — the one is, as the horse works free and pleasant at the height of animation, that you do not take too much of him at a time ; the other is, that the Jiands may not be too straight or confining, requiring the horse to unite himself faster than he can comply with, or submit to, and thereby drive him into vicious defences. In 234 HORSE-BREAKING. In uniting the gallop, the hands, as it were, gather him together, shortening his stroke, while the firmness of your muscles, the whole system being braced, the quick- ening qviality of the fingers, supporting and raising the action at every cadence ; and the legs occasionally pressing the haunches for- ward, every part is supporting and assists the other, and by degrees, in proper time will supple and unite him to the ut- most, and capacitate him to gallop a circle, in which his hind feet may form a centre ; but this is more than will be required of horses that are not kept wholly for parade and amusement. I would recommend working as much to the left as the right, circling frequent; for working on circles is both suppling and uniting in the gallop; and as you contract your circle support the croup in with the outer leg, which will keep the horse securely balanced, and firm on his legs in narrow circles, and turning close in the corners. When the horse is sufficiently united and suppled HORSE-BREAKING. 235 suppled to both hands, in the above manner, you ma3^ reasonably suppose he will change hi& leg without much difficulty to himself or you. Work him then on two circles, and put him to the change at the intersection of the circles; the performance of the horse depends much on the delicate correctness of the rider in seizing the exact time and place ; the exact place is where the fore -feet have passed the intersection of the circles, and the horse, with only changing of his feet, will be in a proper situation with his croup in, on the reversed circle ; here making a half stop, by a backward inclination of the body, as the body comes upright to let the horse advance, you reverse your position, which changes the horse, and directs him on the reversed circle. The practising on circles first is recommended, because a horse will more readily change on them for his own ease and security, being liable to fall if he is false on a narrow circle. You must be careful to make your change at uncer- tain periods, and not every time you arrive at the intersection of tlie cirdes, lest the horse 236 HORSE-BREAKING. horse should work by rote, and not by the direction of your aids ; practise this at first in a slow cadence, and as the horse becomes ready you may proceed more rapid, and work to the long change, and then the change reverse. When a horse is thus far advanced, and properly united and obedient in the several lessons I have progressively laid down, you have only to continue your lessons to esta- blish and perfect him more and more by working him in all the variety you can de- vise, aiming to attain a higher degree of excellence in the figure and action of every lesson. The advancement of the horse to that height of excellence which nature has capacitated him to arrive, depends on the superior skill and abilities of his tutor; the same as a music-master of the first emi- nence, will, by his delicate touches produce such exquisite tones and graces, as a master of inferior abilities cannot execute on the same instrument. Horses differ in their ca- pacities the same as men, and the ablest master IIOESE-BSEAKING. 237 master cannot draw more from a Jiorse than nature has furnished him with powers to exe- cute ; and what has hitherto been treated on, evcr}^ horse fit for the saddle is capa- citated to perform, in some degree or other, short of excellence. To avoid breaking in upon the progressive jnanner, or lessons for uniting a horse, I have omitted some remarks which I think iiecessary. It is usual, as being most con- venient to work horses for improvement in snaffle bridles, and mostly, b}^ proficient masters, Avith the running reins. I (cer- tainly approve of the practice for con- venience and expediton, but such bridles are awkward to those not accustomed to them, and particularly those who have not masterly hands; beside, the}' are chiefly used with the reins separated, and are not so well calculated to be wrought with one hand, as the bit ; it is, therefore expedient, as soon as a horse becomes handy and tractable in any lesson, he should be perfected in it with guch bridle as he is intended to be used . 4 wjtli. 238 HORSE-BREAKING. with ; for some horses at first are displeased at the operation of the bit and curb, and will not, as some term it, face it, that is, will not feel it sufficiently to have an intelli- gent correspondence and communion with the hand ; but a mild hand in a little time reconciles the horse to it : should horses de- fend themselves against the mildest operation .of the hand, which they do by retention, that is, not advancing at the requests of the legs, which would subject them to feel the operation of the hand and bit, but unite themselves, and repeatedly keep rising be- fore without advancing — in this case the spurs must be immediately applied to drive them forward, or an assistant on foot with the whip may apply it to a salutary purpose; for a horse must never be suffered to retain himself more than the hand compels him to, and this propensity, if not properly cor- rected and checked in the first instance, would become the most dangerous and dis- agreeable vice of rearing ; therefore, at all times when a horse retains himself more than the retention of the fingeriS require (for 1 soihq HORSE-BREAKING. 239 some horses will do it to defend themselves against the restrictions of the hand as well as the bit,) the whip or spurs in like man- ner may be applied to drive him forward. Walking is a pace I have not noticed, in the way of teaching or improving; the rea- son is, that its excellencies are confined to itself, being nowise assisting or contributing to subjects that have been treated on, and, like the gallop at speed, requires training to extend it to that degree it is capable of; this is seldom attempted by the riding-master, because it would take more time to train a horse to his speed at walk, than he can al- low for half a dozen horses' lessons ; there- fore the extending of this pace is generally left to the owner : if he is fond of a fast walker, it requires nothing more than the continued practice under a patient rider, whose hand has been well formed, and ac- customed to the pace. The walking a horse while in breaking, is generally after a lesson that has heated and breathed him, for which he is walked to cool and recover , his 240 HORSE-BREAKlNdf. his wind, more than extend the walk to speed ; hkewise on the road, to famiharize him to objects; this, after a horse becomes handy and tractable, should be frequently done after he has taken a moderate lesson ; or such lessons as are not particularly con- spicuous may be given on the road, which will answer the like purpose. Horses that are to be taught to leap, when they have been sufficiently united, may be put to the bar at the conclusion of their lesson, pro- vided 5'ou have not taken violent exertion from them, or been quarrelling, by which you might have crabbed or soured the horse's temper; on which occasions I think it would be best to leave it for a more eligible opportunity. The difference of breaking a horse for the troop, a hunter, a hackney, or a lady, is to perfect them in those things which will be required in their different capacities ; hence, a charger or troop-horse should be more united, and delicately obedient to the operations of the hands and aids, than would IIOESE-BREAKING; 241 Would be required or approved of by the gentlemen wli-o have been only accustomed to ride in the hunting and road systems ; in addition to which they should be accustom- ed to stand fire, familiarized to arms and accoutrements, the use and clash of sabres, colours, drums, lifes, together with the sur- rounding objects. The hunter and hackney would be none the worse for these qualifications; but as they are not so indispensably necessary, the trouble and expence are spared ; there- fore, when a horse carries himself light and pleasant in the hand, is obedient, supple and readjT^ in all his paces, doing them all in as good a style as nature has given him capa- city, and made steady to the common ob- jects on the road, it is all that is expected of a hackney or roadster; the hunter, of course, will be required to leap, both standing and flying, and consequently much pains should be taken to instruct and improve him in that particular, so that the difference between the hunter and hackney is but little in point of VOL. II. R education, 242 HORSE-BREAKING. education, though much in description and properties. Leaving it, therefore, to gentlemen to select horses appropriate for the uses they are intended, the riding-master has only to qualify them for their several uses. A proper-broke horse is applicable to any purpose that nature has capacitated him for, and some half-bred horses are so desirably constructed, and gifted by nature with qual- ities that are applicable for a charger, a hunter, a roadster, to carry a lady, or draw in harness, and may occasionally be used to either, provided when he has been much rode to the extended paces, his owner can again ride him up to that union required in a troop-horse, which I compare to having put your instrument out of tune, you can tune it again without the assistance of a professor. I shall next proceed to the reconciling of horses to objects they have, or assume to have a dislike to. TO nORSE-BREAKlNG. 243 TO FAMILIARIZE OBJECTS TO HORSES THEY AP- PEAR TO BE SHY OF. The cause of horses shjnng at particular objects, have been attributed to various causes, some imagiuiog it may proceed from an imperfect vision, others from a timid or fearful disposition, or nervous affection; these causes may exist with some, but with others (and that by far the greatest number) I am persuaded it originated in high keep, with want of exercise, a misconception on the part of the rider, and consequently a mis- application of the methods to prevent it, by which, and timid riders, it is frequently ren- dered a vice difficult to cure, and very dan- gerous. I am confirmed in this opinion from the number of colts I have had to break, none of Avhich, as I can recollect, at their first being rode on the road ever shyed, as to endanger the seat of any middling R 2 rider; 244 HORSE-BREAKING. rider; if they saw an object that was strange or unpleasant to thein, thej^ would keep their eye upon it, and swerve a yard or so out of their direct track, to keep a cautious distance from it till they had passed, but never to jump from one side of the road to the other, turn short round on their hind legs, and the like, which horses that have been improperly treated will do. Numbers of horses go very steady on the road when kept at proper work, but if kept in the stable from weeks' end to weeks' end, and well fed, breathiug an air rendered unhealthy from the evaporation of their bodies, and effluvia of the stable and dung, will, at their riding out after such confinement, feel an inex- pressible pleasure; the fresh and wholesome air exhilarates the spirits, and objects that present themselves excite pleasure, disgust, contempt, disdain, and every other passion; is it, then, to be wondered, that with the freshness of their limbs, and the intoxication of the refreshi?ig air, that they should express in their demeanor and carriage the various sensations they feel ? Gaiety and wanton- ness. HORSE-BREAKING. 245 ness, pride, contempt, and disgust, are more expressed in their actions than fear, and pro- per exercise, with proper treatment, will soon take off this frohcksome disposition, and their attention will be occupied in the performance of what is required of them. From whence, then, originates the con- tinued shj'Uess of some horses, and the dan- gerous springs and flying round from objects that inferior horsemen cannot make them pass, and frequently cannot keep their seat ? I have not a doubt in my mind but it origi- nated from the rider. If he was a firm and bold horseman he had a misconception of the cause, and took improper methods ; if he was a weak or timid horseman, he was fearful to take any effective methods, and by yielding to the horse, put a trick in his head which he had not an idea of; and I am convinced by experience that many ride horses for the purpose of making them stead}^, and increase the fault they have been trying to cure, R 3 I shall 246 HORSE-BREAKING. I shall mention instances that I dare say have attracted the notice of most of my readers, as such daily occur: for in- stance, an ostler or groom from their habits in being among horses, are supposed to be capable, and therefore requested to ride the horse on the road, and make him steady; these men have rarely given the subject a thought, and having observed the measures pursued by persons of their own ii-aternity, naturally conclude they must be right, and rigorously adopt them; they there- fore set out with intent to teaze and punish the horse for looking at an object that may in some singular manner attract his notice ; as soon, then, as the horse fixes his eyes and erects his ears at any object, dash goes the spurs in, and he must immediately go close up to it: should the object be very disgust- ing to him a sharp contest frequently ensues before the horse can be brought to smell to it. Now let us consider what effect can be produced by this mode of procedure : ad- mitting. HORSE-BREAKING. 247 mitting the general opinion that fear caused the horse to be shy of near approaching the object, is it Hkely that this treatment will divest him of fear ? Is it not likely that it should (as it evidently does) increase his fears, if that was the original cause; for the horse now, as any person may notice, is staring with visible apprehension at every object it meets, but the sight of a rare ob- ject naturally increases his apprehension, and draws upon him the ill-timed correction of his rider; should this not happen, and the former object was stationarj^, his saga- cious rider takes him back to the now more disgusting object than before, to exercise his imagined abilities, and punish the poor horse. That this kind of treatment never did any good, or made the horse steady, I will not take upon me to say, because horses are of different tempers and opposite dispo- sitions, and their shying, also, may be from different causes; therefore it is probable that 3ome dispositions, where the cause arises R 4 only 243 HORSE-BREAKING. only from the horse being what is termed above himself, that is, being kept too long in the stable without exercise, may be taken off his gaiety by this method, though an erroneous and bad one ; but there are dispo^ sitions which would be rendered worse. The timid and fearful rider often increases the horse's propensity to shj^, by his over care-^ fulness and apprehension ; if he perceives the horse in the smallest degree to be thus addicted, he keeps a continual look out, and long before he comes to an object he apprehends the horse will shy at, begins to cringe and take secure hold, which alarms the horse, and causes him to notice what he otherwise would not; and subtle horses, with bad dispositions, take any liberty they please with persons they fmd have nei- ther ability nor resolution to contend with them. I have had horses sent me that had the trick of turning round at every car- riage they met, when I could perceive they had no more fear of the carriage than I had. HOESE-BREAKING. 249 I had, but had put this trick upon their owners till they could ride them no longer; and some horses are so artful as not to pffer a trick to a person they can discriminate to be a good horseman, yet will take the ad- vantage of a leeble irresolute rider. Having considered the probable causes of shyness in horses, and in what manner im- proper treatment increases the defect, I shall now lay down the most likely means to re^ med}^ the evil. In the first place, the person who un- dertakes it should be a good rider, and have great confidence in the firmness and gecurity of his seat, or he will not be able to put in practice the directions I shall give; but with these qualifications no-» thing will be more easy. I onl}^ require the horse to be rode in the usual way on the road, and when he meets an object that is unpleasant to him, let him keep at any dis- tance he pleases frorn it, so that he passes ; ^ven if it is the whole width of the road, Now 250 horse-breaking: Now an indifferent horseman cannot do this, because the obhque traversing of the horse from the displeasing object, disturbs his seat, and occasions him to hold on by the bridle and grasp with his legs, and that should be avoided as much as possible, because this may indicate to the horse a fear in you, which would be a corroboration of his fears and justify his apprehension ; but admitting those were not the horse's ideas, the swaying of your body, and fast holding of the reins, might appear to the horse as if you wanted to prevent him from avoiding the object that he dislikes, and this must operate to increase his apprehension when he meets such objects ; therefore the rider has no more to do than let the horse pass it at the distance he pleases, and keeping his eyes and body pre- sented to the horse's nose, he will find his body go with the horse without disturbing his balance, or occasioning additional alarm to the horse ; this method observed, you will perceive the horse pass nearer the object, and by degrees after a time scarcely notice it. I am HORSE-BREAKING. 151. I am a great advocate for caressing and soothing of horses, but in this instance I do not recommend it — the horse has been need- lessly alarmed, and should not be caressed for it, and soothing would appear as though you were heartening of him up against a cause he had to apprehend ; whereas take no notice, and the horse will perceive him- self only to be alarmed, and the event con- vince him his fears were groundless. The pace you should ride for the purpose of making a horse steady and familiar to the various objects, should be slow and dis- united, that the horse may feel himself un- der no confinement ; for it is the same with the horse as with us, if we apprehend dan- ger, let it come in what form or shape it will, the meeting a mad ox or mad dog, the house on fire, or the ship stranded, our fear is proportioned to the difficulty we have of escaping, and the horse is the more alarmed when he finds the restriction of the hand would prevent his avoiding it. % 252 ' HORSE-BREAKING. By this mode of treatment I have ever found colts to be come steady on the road in a short time, but horses that have been improperly treated have given me the most trouble; nevertheless, the same measures must be pursued by them where the horse will pass the object at any distance the width of the road will admit; but when horses have been improperly treated for a length of time, the restrictions of the rider's hand preventing their rushing by at a distance from the object, the horse naturally avoids it by turning back, taking the rider so suddenly that he is not prepared to prevent it : in this case, or where a horse refuses to pass in the manner I have dc'^ scribed, let the horse's head be bent from the object, working him by in the lesson of the shoulder within, you are never to let the horse evade passing the object, but you are to get him by in such manner as will occa- sion the least alarm or contention with tho horse. Whip or spur is not to be used, unless you HORSE-BREAKING. 253 you are certain it is a mere trick of the horse, which he had successfully practised on former riders, and not occasioned by fear ; but if you have your doubts, refrain from using whip or spur, for the horse find- ing himself defeated in his trick, will soon leave it off; but if he has feai-s or aversion, the whip or spur will certainly increase them. It may be necessary in some situations, such as meeting an object in an extreme narrow road, where you have scarcely room to pass, to rein the horse backward till the object is passed, but this only when it cannot be done otherwise. I think the method I have laid down can- not be misunderstood, but the practice will be difficult to many riders, as it requires them to ride a shy horse with that careless indiffe- rence they would a steady one : and when they are approaching an object they know the horse will be shy of, they are not by any preparatory precautions of their own, not even the stiffening a muscle, or fixing their eve 254 HORSE-BREAKING. eye upon the object, to apprize the horse, or remind him of his fears. These are the most effective means I ever could discover, and if judiciously applied for a continuance, will rarely, if ever, be found to fail. I shall pursue the subject of familiarizing horses to objects that are not so frequently met with on the road, and are more parti- cularly necessary in the army; and, first, of standing fire. Some horses from the first appear to be but little, others much alarmed at it, and it is expedient they should be continu- ally accustomed to it ; but in this, like riding on the road, if injudicious methods are taken, it is likely you may do more harm than good ; for I have seen horses fired to, that have tossed their head, layed their ears, been agitated on their feet, and if they had been loose would have advanced or run at the object; the unsteadiness of the horse, therefore, could not proceed from fear ; he must have imagined it done to play with or IIOESE-BREAKING. ^55 or to teaze him, in the same manner as boyish grooms teach horses by their an- tics and pointing their finger, to lay their ears, and shew a disposition to run at and bite them. It is evident a horse may misunderstand the intention of your firing to him, and conceive it to be to rouse his animation, as when you cluck to him with j^our tongue to animate him, and rattle the switch against the wall, and the like : or he may think j^ou are playing tricks to frighten him ; for you will find many such horses more steady when you fire from their back, than when you fire to them on foot. The method, therefore, of firing to horses at first, should be such as will give them the least alarm, and not appear as though it was intended for them to notice. The best method to begin is to fire signals for feeding, and such horses as are most unsteady, should be the most distant from it, and, if convenient, place steady horses by the side of them ; it is best to have no person near them to notice, much 4 less 555 HORSE-BUEAKING. less to sooth tliem ; whereby, and the dis^ tance of the fire, the horse cannot conceive it to be meant or intended for his particular notice, and the steadiness of the othei' horses, with the immediate servinsr of the corn, will in a short time make him ac* quainted with its meaning, and, as it be* comes familiar, will be a desirable hearing* As the young horses become reconciledj you gradually give your signals nearer them, but not to notice or present the pistol at or towards them ; when fired, pass from them without notice, leaving time and reflection^ with the example of steady horses to ac* com plish their pacification; when 3'ou ap^ proach more near, the presenting the pis- tol and cocking it, will give new alarms, but the same mode should be pursued of not noticing it, and if you find it alarms him much, avoid teazing him by repeatedly cocking and presenting ; and let all your actions have the appearance of not being intended for him to notice; for you cannot command his attention v/ithout affecting him IIORSE-BREAKINO. 257 him In some way or other, either with plea- sure, dislike, expectation, or apprehension. As, for instance, chirrup to a horse, and his head is up and watching you — switch your whip to him, and he is all agitation and ap- prehension ; therefore. If you call his atten- tion hy particularly pointing a pistol at or towards him, you must expect him to be unsettled or restless, by which he expresses his dislike or apprehension ; and it is your business to accustom him to the snapping, smoke, flash, and report, in such manner that he may not perceive it intended to at- tract his attention. After the horse has been thus accustomed to the pistol in the stable, he should be habituated to firing without, as often as opportunity suits; what- ever occasion presents itself, whether a field- day, or firing for the only purpose of riding the horses to; you should commence (with such as appear to be much alarmed) at a distance, and occupy the horse's mind by riding him in such lessons as call his at- tention and obedience to you ; any starts of VOL. II, s surprise 258 HORSE-BREAKING. surprise he may make at the firing you must take no notice of, but, continuing j^our lesson, divert him from noticing the object ; it is necessary here, as well as in familiarizing horses to other objects on the road, that no indications or alarms proceed from you, by cringing or preparing for his starting, watch- ing when the firing comes with a degree of apprehension, whicl\ some cannot divest themselves of, for such will as certainly af- fect the horse as you are riding him. It is, therefore, adviseable for such as cannot avoid such sensations, not to observe or notice when the firing is going to take place, that it may come as unawares upon them as the horse ; steady horses rode with the young ones, will naturally pacify and sooner recon- cile them, and as you find their alarms to subside, make your approaches nearer. You next proceedto load and fire from the back ; the loading, cocking, and presenting, generally create more alarm than the fire, but perseverance, with mild treatment, will overcome great difliculties ; the agita- tion IIOESE-BREAKING. ^59 tion of the horse upon these occasions, should not be much fermented, which would increase his dislike, rather than diminish it ; if you perceive him to have an extreme dis- like to the sight and smell of the pistol, ac- custom him to it by laying one in his man- ger with his corn, and let his desire of the one reconcile him to the other. You should commence firing in such directions as are least alarming to the horse ; and if you fmd the cocking and presenting to agitate him much, dont teaze him by too many presents and recoveries ; but discharge your fire at once, and ride him upon some lesson as will call his attention to it, such as the nar- row change on two circles, and the like ; for if the horse conceives you do it to teaze him, and amuse yourself at his expence, he will ever express his disapprobation or dis- like of it; therefore, it is not so much the frequent application, but the judicious ap- plication, such as will work on his compre- hension as well as his eyes and ears, that will effect your purpose; when the horse perceives the fire is not meant to irritate and s 2 provoke 260 HORSE-BREAKING. provoke him, he will become reconciled to it, and you may fire in every direction. The like manner is to be observed to reconcile horses to drums, trumpets, &c. The using them as signals for feeding will make the sound familiar, and time will reconcile them to it; the misconception of drumming more to the horses that are terrified at it than the others, should be avoided ; if you wish them not to notice the drum — dont let the drum particularly notice them ; pass by them as j'^ou would a steady horse, and they, in a short time, will become steady too. The colours is another object that some horses dislike, but the same methods must be ob- served as with other objects of dislike ; ac- custom them by degrees without punishing or violently compelling them to approach the object, and the apprehension will gra- dually subside. Colours should be placed for the purpose in the riding-house, and you should work him at a distance, and approach nearer as he becomes less apprehensive; If he hesitates after a time to approach, but stops and smells, let him satisfy himself with 5 smelling HORSE-BREAKING. 261 smelling, and invite him to aj3proach for that purpose, but not compel him ; in a lit- tle time you will fmd he will go close to them ; you may then wave them a little so that 3^ou ma}^ give the least alarm that is possible, till, b}^ degrees, you bring him to disregard them ; then a person should carry them before him, and gradually display them in ever}^ direction; and, lastly, j^ou should carry them till he becomes so reconciled that you may wave them over his head, or about his head, without disturbance. For the carrying of music of every description, the like cautions and progressive methods must be used where they are necessar) , for it is to be understood that every horse docs not require them, not having the apprehensions that others have; and some are so excessively troublesome, as to require all the patience a man possesses — such should not be selected for the purpose of carrying drums or colours. The military uniform, caps and feathers, will excite a timid surprize in horses not ac- customed to them, but if employed in the army it soon wears off. The dangling of s 3 the 2^2 • HORSE-BREAKING the sword, using it, and the ghttering of the blade is alarming to young horses, and such must be cautiousl}^ and progressively accus- tomed to it. Drawing sword must com- mence in ver}^ slow motion, and every movement of it must be slow and faint, that it may the less surprize; soothings and pacifications should be used, and extreme patience on the part of the horseman will in time make the horse reconciled to it ; when you may make your motions, and give your cuts that quickness and precision as the service requires. You cannot be certain that a young horse will be steady to the sword in the ranks, though by custom you have brought him to disregard it singly or alone. The troop drawing swords has a new and unexpected appearance, and gives such a sudden and terrifying alarm to colts particu- larly, that I have seen them fly out of the ranks, and set to plunging violently. It is, therefore, expedient before such are tried in the ranks, to ride them previously in the rear of the troop at a less alarming distance than being among them, and make your approaches HORSE-BREAKING. 263 approaches as you perceive their surprize to wear off; for the clattering and gUttering of so many sabres, will surprize old steady horses, till custom has rendered them fa- miliar. Horses properly broke stand steady, and never attempt to move till the requests of the legs and support of the hand direct them; now the actions of the sword, and the posi- tions it is expedient for the body to take, will naturall}^ disturb a horse not completely accustomed and reconciled to them. The bridle hand must be extremely atten- tive, that the positions of the body do not shift it from its proper situation, and must watch, check, or prevent every propensity the horse has to move or shift his ground, bringing him back to the exact spot when such shifting happens. Mildness and invin- cible patience must effect this; no other measures can be taken with a probability of success ; if you lose your patience, you will handle and treat him roughly, and that will s 4 certainly ^Q^ HORSE-BREAKING. certainly make the horse more unsteady; but patience and perseverance will over- come in the end ; for he is restless and un- steady to express his dislike, and if you wont wrangle or quarrel with him, but per- severe with mildness and discretion, the horse will be tired of expressing his disap- probation, and become reconciled by neces- sity. When you have brought him to stand perfectly steady, while you go through the six divisions with facility and precision, you will find no difficulty in performing the same in a gallop, till you come to the attack and defence; and then the clang of the sabres will deter some horses from approaching near enough for the attack ; and this is a ma- terial thing to accustom them to, and only continual practice will bring them to it. What I have said on the subject of fami- liarizing, sufficiently shews the principle I should pursue or recommend in all circum- stances that are not here specified, and if adopted IIOESE-BREAKINCJ. 2^5 adopted will, I have no doubt, be found sa- lutary. We find in horses a variety of tempers, dispositions, and passions similar to those we possess ourselves; some are mild and meek, others are hot and choleric; some are obe- dient and tractable, others refractory and obstinate; some will patiently endure the capricious tempers, unprovoked chastise- ment, and cruel inconsistent treatment of ignorant and merciless men, Avhile others will show a resentment that will keep in check such dastard spirits, and would die before the\^ would submit to them. Many of this latter description have come to my hands, after being made so desperate that their pretended breakers dare not go near them. I shall mention a remarkable one, which I hope will be the last of that charac- ter I shall ever have to encounter with, and as several respectable persons are living that knew and perfectly recollect the circumstance, and as those whom I take the liberty to name are well known, and popular in their respec- tive professions, I trust I shall not be sus- pected 266 HORSE-BREAKING. pected of fabricating a tale to extol my own abilities, or depreciate those of others. The horse I am about to speak of was bought by Mr. Thomas Marsden, as eminent and respectable a dealer as any in London, in a lot with about twelve others at Don- caster fair ; and the conditions were, that he should have none of the others without tak^ ing this horse, which the seller honourably gave a very circumstantial and cautionary character with — that he had foiled the en- deavours of every colt-breaker in that part that had attempted to break him, that nonq could ride him, that he was both shy and dangerous to do any thing to, had killed a man at Borough bridge, and maimed several, and therefore, to get rid of him^, he had put him in the lot, and would not part with the one without the other. Mr. iVIarsden was accordingly necessitated to take him, or relinquish a lot of horses he had a demand for. The notoriety of this horse had drawn {lumbers to look at him, among which were several "HORSE-BREAKING. 26? several colt-breakers, who generally attend the fairs in their neighbourhood to look out for business, and to whom Mr. Marsden proposed, if any one would undertake to ride him, to pay them five shillings per day, and what liquor they would drink. One engaged to ride him, and received his five shillings, and as much punch as he chose to drink, but the hOrse having thrown him se- veral times, the man dechned riding him any more ; and no other choosing to under- take the business, the horse was by some means conveyed to town, about a fortnight after the rest. At that time Mr. Marsden had the riding-house in Worship-street, now occupied by the Light Horse A^olunteers, and I conducted it for him ; he told me the above narrative of this horse, and if I chose to undertake him, there he was to do as I pleased with. At first sight of the horse I was convinced in what manner he had been treated; his eye was fixed upon you the instant you opened the stable; as you approached he was violent^ agitated with dread and ap- prehension 268 HORSE-BREAKING. prehension, flying from one side of the stall to the other as you passed, and his eyes fol- lowing and watching every motion. The character he brought with him, and his staring wild appearance, caused the stable- men to dread going near him ; there was only one man out of twenty who would €ver feed, water, or rub him down, which was old Dyson, who had lived many years with Mr. Marsden ; and from the experience he had with the various tempers of numbers of horses, he alwa3"s found that gentleness and patience would effect what harshness and resolution could not with the most vio- lent tempers. The putting the bridle and saddle on I undertook myself, for I found no one willing to undertake this task. He was called Paul Jones, a name correspond- ing with his resolute unconquerable tem- per. It was evident the horse had been impro- perly treated, and I imagine much after the same manner as a boy I had from the coun- try HORSE-BREAKING. ^69 try used to serve a poney he went of errands on at his last place. The poney would oc- casionally shy a little, and throw the boy off; the lad assumed the boldness to mount again, and had a hearty disposition to beat him, but this he was afraid of, knowing the poney would throw him again ; but when he got him home, and no one present, he used (according to his own account) to tie him fast to a tree, and whip him most un- mercifully, under the idea that this would keep him in such fear and subjection, that he never would attempt the like again. This horse to all appearance had been treated in a similar manner. I will be bold to sa}'- they always approached him with fear, and to disguise it they spoke sharp, menaced, struck, and assumed all the exter- nal appearance of being determined to com- pel him to a submissive fear. Fear they had, indeed, accomplished, but submission they had frightened away. The first thing I had to attempt was to dispel ^70 HORSE-BREAKING. dispel his apprehensions, by frequently visit-' ing him for the purpose of soothing, caress^ ing, and making myself known and familiair to him. His jealous}^ was not readily over- come, for I apprehend he had frequently been deluded by such appearances, for the purpose of getting a bridle and cavison on; and then experienced plenty of abuse and fatigue. I believe I was an hour by myself the first time putting on the bridle and longe- ing-tackle, and I suppose if an}^ person had been with me I should have been longer^ because the horse's fear and aversion w^ould have been the greater. I found him so exceedingly supple and tractable in the longe, that I make no doubt he had been longed till he was ready to drop; for the idea of many who undertake to break horses is, that longeing is only to fatigue them ; and if a horse appears to have any courage and resolution, or what they term the devil in him, he is sure to have enough to give him a dislike of their discipline. I had, therefore, onlv to longe him moderate- ly House-breaking, 27 1 ly for exercise, and to render us familiar and reconciled to each other; for I could plainly perceive by his countenance (for horses, though they will forbear their tricks till a convenient opportunity, yet they can- not disguise their countenance, which will discover the mischief lurking within them) that when we came to mount, where he had ever conquered before, we should have a smart encounter ; but then it was likely from being on good terms, and partially re- conciled to each other, that if I did not pro- voke his temper by ill-timed correction or proud exultation, whenever such encounter happened, he would soon perceive he was only fighting with himself, and it would be of short duration. After longeing him about a week for ac- quaintance sake, by which time I could bri- dle and saddle him without much difficulty, I thought proper to mount him. On these occasions I have observed privacy is neces- sary, as lookers-on alarm the horse; only the man who looked after him assisted in the 3 ridinq^-house. 272 HORSE-BREAKING, riding-house. Mr. Marsclen, and Mr. Harri- son (now of Finsbur}^ veterinary-surgeon to the Light Horse Vohmteers, and very emi- nent in his profession) were spectators in the gallery, for the nncommonly mischievous character of this horse excited their curiosity. He suffered himself to be mounted very quieth^, but his looks betrayed what was ta be expected. Before he had moved a quarter round the circle, he set to with his utmost violence, and ^^^th such determined resolution, that he could not keep his feet, and about the third or fourth plunge, down he came. This cowed him a little, but it gave him a short respite to take breath, though he was no sooner on his legs, than I was again on his back, and another set-to commenced; but he was now more cautious of falling, and after half a dozen exceeding high plunges, his wind was quite exhausted, and he of ne- cessity was obliged to desist for that time, and go quietl3^, though with evident appear- ance of sulky reluctance, and meditating further HOT^SE-BREAKING. 273 further resistance. But this was no more than the natural consequence of defeat and disappointment. The same disposition ran- kles in the human mind upon like occasions, and the most likely method of reconciling such dispositions is not to triumph and exult in the advantage you have gained, or im- pose severe labour or rigorous compliance, at the moment the mind is in such a ferment and state of revolt. Accepting, then, of the horse's compli- ance, from his exhausted state, as though it was his contrition and obedience, I in a short time dismounted, and met him as though I had forgot his mischievous designs and obsti- nate temper, and caressed him for his appa- rent contrition and return to obedience, that we might part in good humour for the pre- sent, to meet friendly, and be better recon- ciled on the next attempt. The succeeding day the same method was pursued, but the horse's plunges were nei- ther so violent nor lasting; and the third VOL. II. T day 274 HORSE-BREAKING. day there were scarcely any. A jealous look and reluctant step, as though the mind was in a state of debate whether it should contend again, continued for several days, and might easily have been provoked by any inadvertence, haste, or ill-temper of the horseman, which shews that the person who undertakes to break a horse of this descrip- tion, should be perfectly collected, and com- pletely master of his passions. By daily lessons in this manner, the horse became tolerably reconciled, and I do not think it was more than three weeks from the time I took him in hand, before I rode him on the road. The second day meeting Mr. Marsden (who was astonished at seeing him) he requested I would ride with him to Beth- nal Green, where we staid till a late hour, and drank very freely of wine, which occa- sioned my taking such liberties with the horse which at another time I should have thought imprudent to have taken with the steadiest one alive. However, the horse behaved uncommonly steady, and brought 1 me HORSE-BREAKING. 275 me as safe home, as he carried me out, though I am certain I must have been much in his power. I mention this circumstance as a rare thing with me, not being often guilty of such indiscretions. From this time I rode him on all occa- sions on the road, even to attend and take charge of ladies, which requires a steady horse, and found him to go uncommonly well ; indeed, I think he would have car- ried any judicious horseman equally as well ; but I know of only one who did ride him, which was a Mr. Gibson, druggist, who met me on the road, and desired to ride him, which he did, and found him very steady. Mr. Marsden then sold him to a person who is now dead, a horse-dealer, but the most improper man in the world for a horse of this temper and disposition, for he was a very hasty and passionate person ; the true character of the horse was given him before he saw him, which excited a curiosity and desire to see some person ride him. I con- T 2 sequently 276 HORSE-BBEAKING. sequently rode with him a short distance, and he was satisfied, returned, and bought the horse, but I never heard that he, or any other rode him after he went from me. The horse was shy of strangers, and I apprehend that affronted his master, who took the twitch-staff to him, and from that I will be bound to say, a reconciliation never after took place. They attempted to put him in harness, but he knocked himself and every thing to pieces ; they could do nothing with him, and I never heard what became of him aftenvard. I have been particular in the account of this horse, as it is an exact specimen of such violent ones of which I have had many under my care, and the above is the only method I think likely to reconcile them, and which I never found to fail. Several of much more implacable tempers have given infinite trouble ; for this horse was not of a bad temper if you treated him with modera- tion, and it was only the wrong idea of those, whose hands he at first fell into, that a ri- gorous HORSE-BREAKING. 277 gorous perseverance would subdue him, which rendered the horse averse to his perse- cutors, and fdled him with dread at the sight and approach of any person ; but when he became reconciled to my riding him, he never shewed the least disposition of res- tiveness, but still retained a degree of ap- prehension at the sight of strangers. The shyness occasioned by improper treatment from the first, you may suppose was very alarming, since none of the stable-men, ex- cept the person I mcxitioned, ever chose to go near him — not even after he became re- conciled to me. But what rendered him so formidable to those who had taken him in hand, was his resolute and terrible high plunges; he certainly was the highest plunging- horse I ever rode, but not the most difficult to sit ; his action, from the elasticity of his joints, was rendered smooth, and broke the violent shock you received at coming to the ground. If one may credit Mr. Harrison, who was in the gallery, the window of w^hich is nearly as high as the beams, in that point of view my head appeared to him T 3 above 278 HORSE-BREAKING. above the beams, which I reckon to be fourteen feet — at that rate the horse must have sprung more than six feet from the ground, an incredible height indeed ; horses have been known to leap so high, but plung- ing is a different action, and rarely ever more than three feet, though very rough to sit. I think I have observed that few colts comparatively (if properly treated) plunge at first backing, and I would have it to be un- derstood, that I dont reckon the horse of less value, provided he is of a good temper; for it indicates some properties that are very de- sirable, such as strength of limbs and con- stitution, with resolution and spirit to bear up under fatigue; but if such are of a crab- bed, untoward, and restive disposition, they will only be lit for those to ride who know how to manage them, if they have ever got the advantage of those who first attempted to break them, though they are soon subdued by a competent person, yet they cannot be warranted not to take advantage, when they HORSE-BREAKING. 279 find themselves superior to their rider, though sometimes it may be several months before they attempt it, depending on circimistances relative to the rider; some by frolicksome tricks, or irritating them with the spurs; others by partially submitting to let the horse have his own way — the one provokes, and the other encourages the horse to become restive ; therefore, bold or timid riders, if they are not judicious, are likel}^ to make a restive disposition shew itself. When a restive horse is rode for the pur- pose of breaking him, it is proper he should be rode in such manner as is likely to induce him to show his disposition, that an oppor- tunity may he had of convincing him of your superiority, by defeating his resistance and defences, and eventually compelling his obedience ; but then this is not to be urged by dashing the spurs in, which implies, " Go forward," while the hand snatches him to- gether, and says, " No, you shall not." This inconsistent and brutal behaviour, in point of reason, would justify the horse for any T 4 resistance 280 HORSE-BREAKING, resistance or resentment he may shew, and I imagine it only to be practised by those who are angry with themselves because they do not know how to manage their horse, though some appear desirous of being thought good horsemen. The method to induce a restive horse to shew his disposition, is to require his per- formance of that which he is capacitated to perform, but is likely to object to ; for in- stance, a restive horse has generally several places that he usually sets up at, and refuses to pass ; these, consequently, should be fre- quentlyjpassed. When riding towards home, occasionally take a different road from home; ride him, likewise, past home, and to the stable door and back again ; whatever he appears to hang to, ride him from. Like- wise put him to a trial of his obedience by working him in the constrained lessons of the hand, narrow changes, passaging, always trying if he will refuse to work from home. This is putting the horse to the test of obe- dience, and a restive disposition will cer- tainly HORSE-BREAKING. 281 tainly dispute the point, till he has convinced himself, by repeated trials, his attempts are fruitless. I have in a preceding part of this volume (page 76) explained the manner of protecting yourself from injury, and defeating the horse's views in these contests; which is, to take the horse by surprize, and employ the full power of your hands against his feeble or unguarded points, which baffles and defeats his intentions; though it does not obtain your purpose, yet persevere in your demands, and turning his defences against himself^ as has been described, the horse finds neither rest nor alternative, but in compliance, and the more resolute and courageous the horse, the more certain his defeat without whip or spurs; but the sulk}^ obstinate, unmettled beast, may require the stimulation of the whip and spurs to provoke them to contend, that the hands may display their power of defeating his attempts, and insisting on his obedience. It is but seldom that I recom- mend the application of whip or spurs, and in 28:2 HORSE-BREAKING. in this case it would be useless for a person to appl}^ them that cannot use his hands to defeat the horse, for thereh}^ he would pro- voke a contest hazardous to himself, without a probability of success. When a horse has been defeated in the manner I have described, whatever the mat- ter of contention was, he should again be put to it, and 3'ou will perceive if he medi- tates a renewal of the contest, for some will not be convinced without several trials, w hich must depend on the superior efficacy of the rider ; a horse may consider he has a chance with some riders, which induces him to repeated trials, but if he finds the rider much superior to him, he will the sooner yield ; yet he will bear it in mind, and ap- pear inclined or undetermined whether he will make other attempts. In this situation of his mind, several trifling expedients may in good humour divert him from it — such as speaking to him not to be foolish ; this ap- prizes him you are aware of his intention, and prepared to encounter it; even the hold- ing HORSE-BRKAKING. 283 ing out of your hand, or giving him a hght box of the ear, will draw his attention to you, and put the mischief out of his head, so that in time he gives over all thoughts of it. No restive horse contends with me more than three times, I mean three successive days; they may occasionally forget them- selves, and shew a disposition, but soon recollect themselves, and desist. !N everthe- less, after I have ridden them for months, if they were very bad, they cannot be war- ranted never to return to the vice with infe- rior horsemen. I have observed that horses have various modes of defence, each adopting that which appears most natural and easy to execute, and, depending entirely on this, seldom substitute another when defeated. The generality of restive horses seem to place their whole dependence on their subtilty, cunning, and resolute obstinacy; they never plunge — seldom kick — but some few are addicted 284 HORSE-BREAKING. addicted to rearing. They attack you by surprize, take the advantage of opportunity and situation, and are sure to conquer if you oppose them on the point of attack. I recollect a horse sent me thirty years ago (for it was when I had the yard now occupied by Mr. Spencer, in Oxford-street, and that must be near the time I mention) that when a coach was passing near him, seized the opportunity of crushing the rider's leg against the hind wheel, while the coach was going on the same way, and never shewed a disposition to be restive but when this oppor- tunity favoured him. He did not intimate by his leers and appearance, as most restive horses do, that he meditated any design, and he was so sudden, that if you were aware, you could not have prevented him by snatching his head round towards it, for then his head would have gone through the carriage window. I was necessitated to ride him through the streets, to give him the greatest opportunity I could of serving me so, and obliged to be very much on my guard. HORSE-BREAKING. 285 guard. The method I took was to be ready at the instant to shift my leg over, and hold by the mane with the one hand, thus stand- ing in the stirrups as when mounting, and letting him press to the carriage, while I laid the whip pretty sharply on his hind quarters. A very few trials convinced him of the folly of attempting it any more; he never repeated it with me, nor ever after, as I heard, with any one else. Nothing is more common than restive horses to attack their riders in those situa- tions that they conceive are advantageous to themselves; and to frighten or deter the rider from contending with them, they get against walls, rails, carriages, horses, houses, &c. A person with moderate courage and reso- lution may safely protect himself by the me- thods I have laid down ; the timid, without any caution from me, will not knowingly attempt to ride such. Some horses are of an uncommon sulky and sluggish temper ; to such the applica- tion 2oO HORSE-BREAKING. tion of whip and spurs may be necessary for otherwise you would get Httle or no ex- ertion from them, but many of these can- not bear much fatigue, and die under the whip and spur, as their spirits and strength begin to lag. A limitation is, therefore, to be observed, and when you find the horse does not answer the spurs as at first, you should desist, and let him take breath and recover himself; for a continued application of the whip and spurs, so discourages and disheartens these dunghill spirits, that they will give in, and stand still. Such horses Would not suit the stylish horsemen of the present day ; but my business has been to break and improve every kind of horse ; that was brought to me, and though I should not choose some of these for my own plea- sure, yet they may suit others who ride nei- ther far nor fast, and supply the placie of horses of four times their value. I think I have heard it observed, that the Duke of Newcastle, in his voluminous work on -horsemanship, says there are no bad horses ; HORSE-BREAKING. 287 liorses; that every horse is serviceable in such employ as nature has fitted and capa- citated him for, and the fault is with his owner if he puts him to a work for which nature never intended him. There are sulky horses that are not slug- gish, after they become reconciled to the discipline that is necessarily imposed on them in breaking; some of these have lain down in a sulky mood, while I have been on their back; and many when I have bent them, with intent to leave them for five mi- nutes to amuse themselves on the bit; I never attempt to prevent their lying down, but when down you may confine them from getting up, by placing the rein along- the cheek, and putting your foot on it, while you give them two or three smart strokes with the whip, and they will be very careful not to put themselves in such an awkward situation again. In like manner, if horses tliat rear desperately, and so high as to en- danger their coming over, take you una- wares that you are not prepared to twist therq. 288 HORSE-BREAKING. them ofF their hind legs time enough to pre- vent their rearing (as I have directed) yet if you have agility enough to slip off and pull them over, they will be cautious of giving you a second opportunity. Cool and phlegmatic horses must be rode with spirit and animation, but hot and fiery animals must be treated with patience and forbearance. It is in vain to think of cool- ing their tempers b}^ excessive labour and fatigue; j^ou may work them till they sicken and faint, and perseverance will kill them, but as they recover their strength, their native heat and eagerness likewise return. A solid rider of eighty years of age, will make a horse of this description steadier than a young man of twenty has patience to do. From the foregoing observations I think the young practitioner may discover the me- thod he should adopt, under the variety of circumstances and dispositions that may come under his direction or practice. 5 THE HORSErBKEAKING. 289, THE METHOD OF TEACHING HORSES TO LEAP. It may appear to some persons that no- thing more is necessary to make a horse leap than putting him to it. I do agree that practice for a continuance is a principal in- gredient, and that some horses have a natu- ral aptitude, and are so favourably con- structed by nature, that little more than daily practice is necessary; others, again, have a great reluctance, and extreme awk- wardness, when first put to the bar ; these recjuire a progressive method, and some skill to teach them to leap with any degree of safety. I shall first make some observations oi> leaping bars, as my ex|>erience has afforded me the opportunity of witnessing the incon- venience of imaginary improvements, which5 in themselves, were so trivial as not to com- pensate for tiieir disadvantages. VOL. II. u To 290 - HORSE-BREAKING. To describe a leaping-bar, is needless — every one knows the construction ; it is the superfluous additions that I shall notice, and first of the shelving-boards fixed under the bar, projecting on both sides, for the pur- pose of preventing the horse coming too near the bar before he rises. These, I should think, were projected by a person who used no other means of making a horse leap, than putting him to the bar, and driving him over it ; for the person who undertakes to teach the horse to leap properly, must en- deavour to make the horse rise as he ought, or, if possible, prevent his leaping till he does; for this purpose, the person who as- sists the horse, is necessitated to stand so close to the bar that his feet are partly un- der, and the boards, which I have mention- ed, totally preclude him standing in such, si- tuation as can be of any service to the horse. It is often necessary to place the bar lower than these boards will admit of, consequently they must be removed, which is awkward and troublesome, as this occurs frequently, where there are several raw horses to be put . to 6 HORSE-BREAKING. 291 to the bar. Lastly, there is an additional risque of injuring the horse, for when the bar is placed high, there admits a considera- ble space between the bar and the boards, and I have several times seen an awkward horse get his legs between, and had not the board tripped or given way, the legs must have been broke. The next thing I shall notice is, a con- struction intended to prevent accidents, if the horse should not clear, or cover his leap ; this is a long bar — one end of the spindle is lodged in the post, that is usually set in the wall on one side the riding-house, and the other end is lodged in notches in a tem- porary post, mortased into two pieces of wood, placed across for feet. If the horse does not clear the bar, he forces it out of the notches, and down it. falls; or if he hangs across the bar, a person standing at the tem- porary post, pulls it away, and lets the bar fall. A bar of this construction is very im- ])roper for teaching a horse to leap, for they in general try if the bar will give way before U 2 they ^29^ HORSE-BREAKING, they will attempt to leap, and finding they can shove it dov/n, they will not fail to doit rather than spring over it. I have seen horses at a flying leap at this bar, catch it with their hinder feet, and hurl it with such violence as to endanger it striking their forer feet coming to the ground ; and I have seen a person materially hurt, and might have been killed, that stood in the way of it. Furze bound on a bar is frequently done io prevent the horse from coming too close, or shoving against it ; this likewise has the inconvenience of preventing the person who assists the horse from coming nef '^ enough to the bar, and is only fit for practising horses that have been previously taught. The binding of the bar with hay-bands is the practice of dealers, to guard against rubbing any hair off, or bruising the shanks, should the horse make an awkward leap ; but this, and the furze, would be an endless trouble and expence, where the bar is daily used with variety of horses, for it is soon kicked HORSE-BREAKING. 293 kicked off; and in a riding-house it makes a disagreeable litter, and is, I think, of no service, for I dont recollect a single instance of rubbing any hair off, or materially bruis- ing a horse's shanks with his striking the bar ; nevertheless, an invention to prevent the horse coming too near the bar is desirable, if it can be done without much inconveni- ence. The best method I can suggest, is to have a board suspended to the bar, which may be made to project on one side onl}^, by the rail at the bottom extending beyond the pillars that the bar is placed in, which will be clearly comprehended by inspecting the plate I have given for that purpose. This plan will admit of your standing close to as- sist the horse, and the board rising with the bar, precludes the possibility of entangling his legs between ; the principal inconveni- ence is the weight and trouble of shifting the bar higher and lower with this addi. tional weight, and likewise the removing the board away when it may be necessary ; this u 3 makes 294 HORSE-BREAKING makes it exceptionable, where it is used con- tinually for a variety of horses, that may re- quire it to be repeatedly shifted, but I think it might answer for private use, as a frequent alteration thereof may not then be required. Whoever has a board made for their bar, should observe, that it is sus])ended by an iron spindle fixed to the board, and lodged on the pin in the upright post, in the same manner as a bar is suspended; the bar is placed above, and the spindle of the bar lodges on the iron-work attached to the board for that purpose, and must have free- dom to turn on all occasions ; the height of the iron for the bar to lodge on, depends on the thickness of the bar ; a space of not less than two inches should be preserved from the under part of the bar to the board, that a small bending by the weight of the horse on it, or warping, may not prevent it from turning ; for the free turning of the bar pre- vents rubbing the hair, or grazing the skin. The ends of the rail at the bottom may be shaped for a handle, and may be found con- venient N- Jt» % HORSE-BREAKING, 295 venient to raise the board by ; the bottom of the board, you may perceive by the plate, is rounding, it being occasionally of mostly suspended from the ground, that the horse may not injure his fetlock-joint or shanks. If a bar is not rough or splintery, and rolls round on its axis freely, there can be no occasion for any woaldings; and if he some- times strikes it, it will make him the more cgilpfcous the next time. The bar for flying leaps, should be at least nine feet long; one end should be fixed in a post in the wall, and the other to a tempo- rary post let into a shaft, and standing not more than four feet and a half out of the ground — this bar should be stout, propor- tionate to its length. I shall now shew the method of teaching a horse to leap, first observing, that the horse is to be won or invited to leap, if possible, rather than compelled : coercive means are never to be used, if it can be achieved by milder methods. Some horses U 4 at 295 HORSE-BREAKING. at first appear as though the3- \Aere frightened at the bar, and are with difficult}^ brought to it— be patient and mild with them, and this timidity will soon wear off. To lead these over the bar is still more difficult, though the bar is not a foot high. Lay the bar on the ground, or take it quite away, and lead them through the pillows; I have known some leap two feet high, though the bar was removed. After passing him through several times, put the bar at the lowest, and lead him through as before ; your only aim now is to accustom him to the bar, and if he walks over it, as you do, it is all at present to be required ; but even in this, if you stop when over the bar, and turn your face to him, he may stop likewise, and not follow while you face him ; humour him at first by walking on, and let him follow without your turning to notice him, till he becomes a little familiar, and less reluctant. When the bar is raised so high that the horse cannot walk over, you must invite him to rise; and if the horse is reluctant, it will be HORSE-BREAKlKG. 297 be necessary to have an assistant with a long whip behind him, holding up the whip or throwing the lash towards him, to press him to unite and raise himself. The person who leads him over, must take short hold of the reins w^ith his right hand, at the distance of about six inches, and endeavour to prevent the horse from coming too near the bar; the operation or effect of the hand, is to draw the nose in ; if you raise your hand with the view of making or inviting him to rise, you would cause him to raise his nose, in which position he cannot unite himself to rise ; but the operation of the hand downward, and rather back (if he presses rather too close to the bar) will invite him to rise, and you must continue the support of the hand, not suffer- ing him to spring with his hind legs, if j^ou can prevent it, till you perceive his fore-feet are raised sufficient to clear the bar, then ease your right hand and let him come over, advancing with him, in order to give him the greater liberty. Some horses, as I have observed, are na- turally 298 HORSE-BREAKING. rally formed for uniting themselves, and raising their forehand ; such will aptly leap, and give you little or no trouble, practice making it only more familiar and easy to them. But others being so confined or stiff in the joints, that the hams and houghs can- not freely bend to admit the haunches com- ing under to raise the forehand, require much pains and attention; these horses, where they have spirit, are very impatient, striving to force the bar, and sometimes all your endeavours cannot prevent them spring- ing from their hind legs, before their fore feet are clear of the bar. Such horses should be previously worked in all the uniting lessons, till they are united well in the gallop, and made to stop well on the haunches, and this frequently and suddenl}^ to supple the haunches and bend the houghs, till when you will not get them to rise well at the bar. We ourselves cannot spring any height from the ground, without well bending our knees, hams, and instep — nor can the horse, without HORSE-BREAKING. 299 without bending his hams and houghs; but the horse has first to balance and sustain the weight of his fore quarters on the houghs and haunches, before he ought to spring from them, otherwise he must leap what we term all fours together, which is very awk- ward, uncertain, and dangerous. Bringing this description of horses to the bar, and teaching them to leap, though it occupies much time, and may not be wanted, will, notwithstanding, be beneficial to the horse, being Avith others the most compulsory method of uniting and bringing the haunches under. The placing a horse of this kind in the pillars, for the purpose of uniting him, would be to no purpose ; he could not com- prehend a thing so repugnant to his disposi- tion, not seeing a necessity for it ; and the excitements or stimulations you might use, might render him desperate; but place a bar before him, and he comprehends you want him to come over it, and then he per- ceives the necessity of gathering his haunches under him, before he can raise his fore part. Under 300 HORSE-BREAKING. Under the .unfavourable circumstances of make and disposition, more time and pa- tience are requisite, and after all it cannot be expected such horses will leap with that de- liberation and ease to themselves, which give confidence and security to the rider, as those which are formed and disposed by na- ture to leap. The person who stimulates with the whip must be mild and moderate, not to hurry or flurry the horse, for otherwise he will flounce from one end of the bar to the other, trying to escape it, rather than make an effort to leap over it. The animation of the tongue and holding out the whip, should be first tried ; should the horse make a lingering or hesitating attempt, increase your animation, and throw the lash towards him, but not to touch him, lest you arrest his whole atten- tion, and render him more studious to avoid your whip, than get over the bar» Should the horse wholl}^ refuse, more coercive measures must be used, but first be 3 mindful HORSE-BREAKING. 301 mindful that the bar is not placed too high for his early attempts, and then compel him over in what manner you can, be it ever so blundering, for the person who leads him over cannot assist an unwilling horse. If it is his first attempt, you should not correct him for his blunders, but rather encourage him to try and perform it better. After a horse has been in the habit of leaping well, and blunders through heedless- ness or reluctance, moderate correction might be serviceable if properly timed, that is, given at the instant ; were I to correct a child for a fault, I should prefer deferring the punish- ment till next day, because I could make him sensible of what it was for — but the horse can only be sensible at the instant. The blundering at first may have a good effect in convincing him of the necessity of rising sufficiently before and leaping, for scrambling over the bar must, of the two, be more disagreeable and difficult. When 302 MORSE-BREAKING. When the horse is very eager and impa- tient to leap, the person who leads him over, must, by all means, prevent him leaping till he rises sufficiently before, for the horse is then determined to break and carry away every obstacle before him ; he maj^ proba- bly, conceive he is placed to the bar for that purpose — therefore, prevent, if possible, his springing with his hind legs, till he is clear of the bar before, Some horses leap so tardily, and with such indolence, that they will not clear their hind legs, and this the}^ will do repeatedly, if they dont strike themselves too hard, which makes them more careful; but, if the person behind with the whip gives him the lash at the instant before he takes his spring, it ^Vill make him throw his hind quarters clear. The horse that puts his head down over the bar, and smells to the ground, appears timid and fearful; dont hurry him till he has satisfied himself a little, and then he will come HORSE-BREAKING. 303 come over blowing and snorting with appre- hension ; caress, sooth, and pacify him, and he will soon be reconciled. — It is not a bad sign. Some horses endeavour to break away from you, regardless of the whip behind them, and if you are not expert at shifting round the pillar, will get loose, or break the bridle; this you must be guarded against, for succeeding a few times encourages them to persist. If you cannot manage them without, put the cavison on to hold them by, for, though I recommend gentle means if, possible, yet resolute methods must be used, where you are obstinately opposed. Having noticed the general occurrences arising from the different dispositions of horses, with the methods of treating them respectively, it is necessary to observe fur- ther, that you must proceed patiently and gradually, not requiring too much at a time, nor raising the bar too rapidly — yourjudg- ^nent and discretion must direct you in this ; it is not because the horse clears the bar at a certain 30i . • HORSE-BREAKING. certain height, that you are immediatel}^ to put it to a hole higher. Moderately exer- cising the horse to leap, gives strength and efficacy to the muscles employed in the ex- ertion, but too much at a time relaxes and weakens them. Daily practice in modera- tion is necessary, because the horse will ac- complish with the greater ease to himself, what he is in the frequent habit of perform- ing; and till you perceive that the horse goes over a certain height Avith perfect ease to himself, it would be injudicious to put the bar higher, for you would thereby discourage the horse, and drive him to resistance; and if you compel him greatly against his incli- nation at a high bar, you rnust expect he will tumble over it. Proceeding, therefore, mildly, invitation and compulsion judiciously blended, caress profusely his good perform- ances, and pass over his bad ones in hopes of amendment. From eight to twelve times over the bar, I think, is sufficient at a time, taking occasion to leave off at a good per- formance, that you may caress and encour rage him all you can at parting. The HORSE-BREAKING.- 521 where such an opportunity can be had, might be beneficial, if the expence and trouble are not thought much of. There is some difficulty in getting horses out of a stable, when there is a fire contigu- ous, and many horses have \)een burned to death, perhaps, from persons not having presence of mind to use other expedients than pulling them out by force. Putting a thick bandage over their eyes, that they can see no light, then turning them round a turn or two, and I think they would lead out ; but if nothing is at hand lor that pur- pose, or time would not permit, I should try to back them out, and two men, each putting a hand over an eye, I think may accomplish it. END, OF VOL. II, VOL. II, Y The Traveller's Companion and Guide, hidudina- all the Beauties of England and Wales. ' THIS DAY IS PUBLISHED, Elegantly printed in Two Volumes, small octavo, containing nearly two thousand pages of Letter-press, and illustrated by Sixty-six beautifully engraved Views of Noble- men and Gentlemen's Seats, Public Buildings, including Churches, Bridges, Castles, Monuments, &c. WITH A WHOLE SHEET COLORED MAP OF ENGLAND AND WALES, Ptice \l. hs. extra hoards, THE TRAVELLER'S GUIDE; ENGLISH ITINERARY^ CONTAIVING Accurate and original Descriptions of all the COUNTIES. CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES, HAMLETS, 4c. AND THEIR EXACT Distances from Ijyndon; Together with the CATHEDRALS, CHURCHES, HOSPITALS, GENTLEMEN'S SEATS, flVith the Names nf their pi e sent Possessors J MANUFACTL'nFS, HARBOt'HS, BAYS, RIVERS, CANALS, BRIDGES, LAKCS, SALT AND MEDICINAL SPR I NG S, V A LI.S, HILLS, MOUNTAIlJSj MINES, CASTLES, C I' HIOSITIES, MARKET DAYS, *■ FAIRS, INNS FOR POST IIOnSLS, &C. Tlie whole comprising a complete Topography of CnglanD antr C23ales* Tn -which are prefixed, GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON GREAT-BRITAIN ; INCLUDING A CORRECT ITINERARY' from London to the several Walerins; and Sea-Baihing Places, List of Inns in London- Mail Coaches J Wharts; Packel-Boais; Rales of Porterage; Postage of Letters- And every other usiful Information, equally calculatedfur the Man of Bu$i' ness and the itiqiiisitiue Traveller. By W. C. OULTON, Esq. ALBION PRESS PRINTED: PUBLISHED BY JAMES CUNDEE, Hv-Lane, Patctiioster-Bow. 0