THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

THE GALLOP ABOUT A LANCE.

CURB, SNAFFLE, AND SPUR

A METHOD OF TRAINING YOUNG HORSES
FOR THE CAVALRY SERVICE,

AND

FOR GENERAL USE UNDER THE SADDLE.

BY
EDWARD L. ANDERSON,

AUTHOR OF "MODERN HORSEMANSHIP."

JHlustrateii frg 2Tf)trtg*ttoa ^fjatagrapfjs from tfye ILtfe.

BOSTON:

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

EDINBURGH: DAVID DOUGLAS.

1894.

Copyright, 1894,
BY LITTLE, BROWN, & COMPANY.

SUtttoersttg
JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A.

PREFACE.

THIS little work has been written especially
with a view of presenting a method of
training horses for the use of mounted soldiers ;
but there is nothing herein recommended that
would not be important, if not absolutely neces-
sary, for the education of any horse intended for
the saddle.

How long it would take to carry a horse
through the course I have laid down would
depend upon the age, strength, and disposition
of each horse. The lessons might extend from
the time the colt is weaned until it is four years
old ; or a strong three-year-old, with two short
lessons daily, might be thoroughly trained in
three months.

M370195

viii Preface.

Five horses were brought before the camera
for the illustration of the book. Silvana, now
many years in service, was employed to explain
the advanced exercises ; Coquette, an English-
bred mare, is represented in the frontispiece ; and
three young horses which were photographed
from the day the author took them in hand.
These latter three had been broken to harness,
and were quiet to handle, but had received no
training such as they were then given, and they
had all of the awkwardness and rigidity that
could be desired. I have found that a horse
wholly undisciplined is of but little service before
the camera when certain positions are required.
The photographs were taken by Rombach and
Groene, of Cincinnati, and the half-tone repro-
ductions were made by the Heliotype Printing
Company, of Boston.

CONTENTS.

Part I.

IN THE SNAFFLE.
CHAPTER PAGE

I. HANDLING THE YOUNG HORSE 15

II. RIDING THE YOUNG HORSE 24

III. HAND AND HEEL. — THE TROT, THE WALK, CHANGES

OF DIRECTION 35

IV. SUPPLING AND COLLECTING. — THE UNION AND

BALANCE OF THE FORCES 4*

V. REVERSED PIROUETTES, Low PIROUETTES, BENDING

HEAD IN ACTION. — TRAVERS AND RENVERS . 54

Part 3HE.

IN THE DOUBLE-REINED BRIDLE.

I. THE UNION AND BALANCE OF THE FORCES. — IN

HAND, THE UNION, THE HALF-HALT .... 69
II. INDIRECT INDICATIONS OF THE CURB-BIT. — IN THE

DOUBLE BRIDLE . 78

III. THE GALLOP. — THE GALLOP CHANGES 84

IV. TROT AND GALLOP. — TRAVERS AND RENVERS. —

PIROUETTES FROM ACTION. — Low PIROUETTES.—
THE PIROUETTE VOLTE 96

Contents.

CHAPTER PAGE

V. THE UNION WITHOUT THE REINS 104

VI. THE HALT FROM THE GALOP. — THE USE OF THE

SPURS 107

VII. BACKING 112

VIII. JUMPING 117

IX. VICES, TRICKS, AND FAULTS 125

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

THE GALLOP ABOUT A LANCE Frontispiece

RUBBING THE COLT WITH THE WHIP 22

ELEVATION OF HEAD , , . 26

BENDING HEAD 29

CARRYING THE CROUP OVER THE FOREHAND 33

ELEVATION OF THE HEAD, MOUNTED 43

POSITION OF THE HEAD 45

DROPPING HEAD 47

BENDING THE HEAD, MOUNTED 49

CARRYING THE HIND LEGS UNDER THE BODY .... 51

CARRYING THE HIND LEGS UNDER THE BODY .... 52

REVERSED PIROUETTE 55

APPLYING WHIP TO THE NEAR FLANK 57

Low PIROUETTE 59

TRAVERS 61

RENVERS 63

IN HAND, IN THE TROT 71

UNITED TROT 73

HALF-HALT FROM THE TROT 75

IN HAND, IN PLACE 76

BREAK INTO GALLOP FROM SLOW TROT 87

GALLOP RIGHT 91

GALLOP CHANGES. — FROM RIGHT TO LEFT 93

xii Illustrations.

PAGE

PIROUETTE VOLTE 99

UNION WITHOUT REINS 104

UNION WITHOUT REINS. GALLOP 105

HALT FROM THE GALLOP no

BACKING. THE IMPULSE. ..... . . . . . . . 113

BACKING 115

LEADING OVER THE BAR 119

JUMPING IN HAND 121

THE FIRST LEAP OF A YOUNG HORSE 123

IN THE SNAFFLE.

CURB, SNAFFLE, AND SPUR.

CHAPTER I.

HANDLING THE YOUNG HORSE.

IT must be understood at the outset that in the
method of training presented in the following
pages the object of the work described is to
obtain immediate and exact control over the
horse, through a kindly enforced discipline, in
which nothing is left to the volition or willing
obedience of the animal. The muscular actions
which would impulsively follow the applications
of the hand and heel are to be cultivated in the
proper directions, so that the horse shall instinc-
tively answer to the demands of its rider under all
circumstances. We are not to depend upon the
intelligence or the good-will of the animal, beyond
acquiring its confidence to such an extent that
its fears are not aroused by any movement the
trainer may make ; and neither whip nor spur

1 6 Curb, Snaffle^ and Spur.

should be used in punishment, — the correction
of faults, whether voluntary or involuntary, being
obtained by the control which will follow the true
use of the aids. The horse should not be taught
to regard any motions, words, or bugle-calls ; for
it might obey such signals at inopportune times.
The silent application of the aids is the proper
manner for the rider to indicate his demands, and
the horse will be the readier to obey if it be
unused to preparatory signals. The trainer must
soothe by kind tones the young horse in its early
lessons, and he may correct it by a harsh voice ;
but as soon as he acquires the confidence of the
animal, and it begins to understand the bit and
the spur, the man should conduct the lessons in
silence, and depend upon the aids for enforcing
his requirements. I know of nothing that seems
to give such pleasure and such satisfaction to
the horse as a slight relaxation upon the ten-
sion of the reins, and an almost impercep-
tible touch of the bridle-hand upon the crest,
when the rider wishes to encourage or reward
his mount. The horse very soon learns the
meaning of this, and how to appreciate it ; and
as long as it does not affect the speed, direc-

Handling the Young Horse. 17

tion, or carriage of the trained animal, I see
nothing objectionable in it. This is the method
followed by some of the best horsemen. One of
these, a professional trainer, is so successful in
his management of vicious horses, that I have
frequently heard him say that he did not find
anything wrong in certain animals which were
turned over to his care as unruly by their
owners.

The education of the horse cannot be begun
too early. There is no reason why a yearling
should not be as thoroughly disciplined as an
old-school horse, and the early training will last
during the life of the animal. Training does not
injuriously affect the vivacity or the spirit of the
horse ; on the contrary, a cold-blooded drudge
can be made active and mettlesome by a course
of schooling. Witness Alidor, the horse em-
ployed to furnish the photographs for the first
edition of " Modern Horsemanship," a coarse,
heavy colt, which was brought to perform the
high-school movements with grace and precision.
The mare which was used for most of the illus-
trations in the present work, better bred than
Alidor, is an example of the fact that a long

1 8 Curd, Snaffle, and Spur.

course of training is beneficial ; for at fifteen
years she is full of life, mettle, and action, al-
though a child might ride her. I wish to say
here that there is one class of horses that it is
useless to attempt to train or to use. These are
such that from deficiency in cranial development,
or from some lesion or injury to the brain, are
subject to fits of terror and wild excitement ; for
although even these may be taught to obey the
aids, their attacks are frequently so sudden that
the rider is in peril before he can attempt to
obtain control. The outward conformation some-
times marks these animals, even to the inexperi-
enced, and I have never known the small, pro-
tuberant eye (known as the buck's eye) fail to
give true warning that its possessor is a danger-
ous and useless fool.

With the young horse brought to the trainer
already disciplined from its early days, or with the
three-year-old simply halter-broken, we should
proceed in the same manner, although in the
first instance the preliminary lessons would be
far shorter, and rather as a test to see how far
the discipline had been carried. The cavesson
(a leather head-collar with a jointed metal nose-

Handling the Young Horse. 19

band, having a ring at either side and one in
front) will be placed upon the horse, a strong
line, at least fifteen feet long, being attached to
the metal nose-band ring. The animal should
be led to some retired place, where there is
sufficient ground upon which to conduct the
exercises. A covered school is preferable for
the whole work of training, as the man can then
have the attention of the horse; but wherever
the work is carried on, there should be such
quiet as can be had. It is true that a school-
broken horse must be made acquainted with
many strange and new sights when it is first
taken out ; but every young horse has to go
through such experiences, and it is much easier
to control the disciplined horse under these
circumstances than the raw colt, which has not
been taught to obey hand and heel. The man
should be perfectly composed, and he should
avoid doing anything that will arouse the fears
of the horse. He should lead the colt in a
circle of about thirty feet in diameter, first to
one hand and then to the other, walking at
its shoulder, and holding the line at about
eighteen inches from the nose-ring. If the

2O Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

colt refuses to lead, as it probably will, the man
must wait upon it. If he tries to force it to
lead, the frightened animal will sulk, and all
acknowledged resistances are to be avoided.
It is likely that in a very short time it will
become irksome to the colt to remain still, and
at its first motion the trainer should let it move
off, and encourage it as though the whole inci-
dent had been in accordance with his desires.
The trainer should, from time to time, stop the
colt, and then make it resume its round. The
trainer's aim from this time forth should be,
that the colt shall not volunteer a movement;
or should it become necessary for him to take
advantage of a voluntary movement after a
refusal, the animal should be led to believe
that it has really obeyed the man. During the
circles, at the walk and at the halts, the man
should handle the colt, as far as he can, without
arousing its fears, — picking up its feet, patting
it on various parts of its body, and rubbing the
poll, never of course letting go of the line.
The trainer will gradually lengthen his hold on
the line, depending upon the behavior of the
colt, until he has the animal walking about

Handling the Young Horse. 2 1

him at its full length. He will bring the colt
to a halt by gently waving the line horizontally,
and he should then go quietly up to the animal
and make much of it. The colt must not be
allowed to come in to the man, but should, as
far as possible, be made to stop and stand in
the path of the circle. If the colt moves off
without permission, the man should bring it to
a halt, and then demand that it move, so that,
from the earliest lessons, it will learn to look
to the man for orders. These lessons will
interest and exercise the horse, and may be
conducted as long as the trainer sees fit, provided
he does not fatigue the animal. When the colt
will walk about the man quietly, and come to
a halt as he requires it, the trainer may put it
into a slow trot, using great care not to excite
the colt or to permit it to go too rapidly. He
should then teach it to come to a halt and
turn about for a change of direction. During
the longeing lessons the trainer should teach
the horse to bear the whip, which should never
be applied with any severity, a simple tap being
all that should be given, and this touch will
answer every requirement. The horse having

22

Ciirb, Snaffle, and Spur.

been taught to enjoy caresses, the rider should
frequently pat and handle the animal while
holding the short whip in his hand. Gradually
he should habituate the horse to bear the whip

RUBBING THE COLT WITH THE WHIP.

as it is passed over various parts of the legs
and body, and finally to move forward at a
slight tap delivered upon the rump. The horse
must not flinch at the motion or at the touch
of the whip. A long whip should then be sub-

Handling the Young Horse. 23

stituted for the riding-rod, and the trainer
should use it with great discretion in stimulating
the horse, by light touches given against the
sides, or by striking the ground in rear of the
animal, to increased speed and action on the
longeing circles, it of course being understood
that the rate of speed on the longeing circles
should always be moderate. Should the horse
be too eager or too much excited to obey the
horizontal waves of the longe-line when the
trainer wishes to reduce the speed or to demand
a halt, a series of motions of the line up and
down, with a strong pull on the line as it
comes down, will have the greatest effect upon
the cavesson ; but this severe use of the longe-
line is to be avoided. The exercises upon the
longe will be continued until the horse is given
sufficient work under the saddle ; and during
these, the trainer cannot use too much caution
in securing the horse from fright or excitement.

CHAPTER II.

RIDING THE YOUNG HORSE.

A CERTAIN amount of discipline having
been established while upon the cavesson,
and the young horse having found that there
is nothing to dread in the approach or in the
touch of its master, we arrive at the most impor-
tant, and not the least difficult, part of the
education of the animal. The manner in which
the colt is taught to bear its rider will have
a very marked influence upon its future useful-
ness ; but any man of ordinary intelligence
should be able to make the colt quiet to ride,
if he be patient and firm. The horse should
be saddled with care, the girths being but
moderately tight, and the stirrups arranged so
that they shall not touch the sides of the horse.
The horse must now be taught something of

o o

the effects of the bit. I find that this, and some
other matters connected with the general prog-

Riding the Young Horse. 25

ress of the training, can be accomplished very
readily by the trainer driving the horse before
him for a few times, a pair of light long lines
being run through the loops on the surcingle
to an easy snaffle-bit. The horse should be
driven in circles and upon straight lines, being
frequently brought to a halt and then started
forward, the trainer using as little force on
the bit as is possible, and employing a long
straight whip with caution. If at any time the
animal kicks or rushes forward, it should be
corrected by a sharp pull upon the reins. I
have seen horses made confirmed kickers by
the application of the whip as a corrective
measure, and by the use of whip blows the
horse may be taught to kick when it is even
threatened. The horse that kicks must be
corrected by having its head thrown up ; and
any horse can be taught to bear the whip, prop-
erly used, by gradual lessons, without flinching
or resentment. During the halts in these lessons,
the trainer should from time to time loosen and
tighten the girths to accustom the horse to such
handling, and he should occasionally bear some
weight with his arms upon the saddle. The

26

Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

trainer should induce the horse to submit to
be driven with the stirrups let out to the full
length of the leathers, and dangling against the
sides, and to bear the flapping of cloths over

ELEVATION OF HEAD.

any part of its body or legs. I may say here
that it is difficult to give these lessons when the
horse is annoyed by flies or other insects, as
the animal is apt to kick at the application of
whip or heel under such circumstances.

Riding the Young Horse. 27

In mounting the colt for the first time the
trainer should select an occasion when, after some
gentle exercise, the animal is composed and con-
fident. He should see that the snafHe-bridle
is in good order, that it fits the head and mouth
without discomfort, and that the saddle is properly
and strongly girthed. If he has reason to believe
that the horse will make violent resistances, he
can insure his seat by having a rolled blanket
strapped to the pommel of the saddle ; but it is an
exceptional horse that will give trouble, if its edu-
cation has been conducted on the lines recom-
mended. In riding a young or difficult horse for
the first time, I prefer to have a leg up from an
assistant ; for in that way the rider can quietly
obtain his seat before the animal can prevent, and
this is a moral victory which the colt will under-
stand. Should the trainer elect to mount in the
usual way, he must take care that he does not
irritate the horse by a thrust of the left toe, and
that he does not strike the rump as he carries the
right leg over. Once in the saddle, he should let
the colt walk off as quietly as it will, the reins
just taking a bearing upon the animal's mouth,
and his heels away from its flanks. In this first

28 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

lesson the man should do very little beyond
letting the colt go quietly forward in a walk.
Unless something frightens the animal, it is not
probable that it will show any misconduct. If,
after a few minutes, all goes well, the rider should
quietly dismount, and resume the exercises upon
the longe-line. Upon the second time of mount-
ing, the same precaution should be taken ; and on
each succeeding day the time during which the
man is on the colt's back may be gradually
extended, depending upon its strength and con-
duct. Perhaps on the fourth or fifth time that it
is mounted, the novelty of the situation having
worn off, the colt may take notice of surrounding
things, and if an excuse may be found in a bark-
ing dog, a flying bird, or some such matter, it
may pretend to be frightened, and give a few
plunges. If the rider will gently keep up its head,
and let it go forward in any slow pace or action
it will take, the colt will be convinced that it has
gained nothing by its efforts, and will not be
likely to repeat its misconduct except under some
provocation. Gradually the trainer will take
more command over the movements of the horse,
turning it to the right or the left, bringing it to a

Riding the Young Horse.

halt and resuming the forward movement, put-
ting it into a trot and bringing it back to a walk,
accustoming it to the pressure of the legs against
the flanks and even to light whip-taps behind the

BENDING HEAD.

girths to incite it to action. The hand should be
ready but light, and the colt's head should be
held well up. Plunging and bucking are the
only disorders which are not due to the trainer's
mismanagement, and these are the natural de-

30 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

fences of the horse. The former is a coltish
prank, which may become a fixed vice by bad
handling ; the latter is seldom found in horses of
domestic breeds, and is perhaps due as much to
tight girthing and rough " breaking " as to the
instinctive resistances of the half-wild animals in
which the vice is commonly found.

The precautions which I have so strongly in-
sisted upon may seem to some readers to be greater
than the matter requires ; but if the best results are
to be obtained, a trainer cannot observe too much
care in the treatment of the colt in these early
lessons. The critical period of the colt's educa-
tion having been passed, and the animal having
been brought to carry its rider quietly, we must
extend the discipline, which up to this time has
been as little irksome as possible.

A most important thing is to teach the horse
to go into the bridle. Nearly every vice and
resistance offered by a horse is preceded and
made possible by the animal getting behind the
hand ; that is, it refuses to face the bit, so that the
rider's hand can find nothing by which he can
enforce his demands. The horse is taught to go
into the bridle by gently pushing it forward in a

Riding the Young Horse. 31

slow trot against a liorht but constant tension of

o o

the reins. In time, by proceedings which we
shall afterwards describe, the mouth of the horse
may be made so elastic and light that it will
answer to the gentlest drawing of the rein, always
giving something upon which to act, but without
rigidity or opposition. At first I do not hesitate
to give my young horses mouths rather too hard
than too soft, and I make them hold the head
rather higher than is necessary for the union and
balance of the extremities. This confirms them
in facing the bit, and insures against the usual
habit of too low a carriage of the head. Any
condition of the mouth may be given the horse : a
hard hand makes a hard mouth, a light hand a
light mouth, and a nerveless hand lets the horse
get behind the bit, and gives no mouth. During
these lessons the trainer, before mounting, and
after dismounting, should make the horse elevate
its head, and bend its head and neck to the right
and to the left, as such exercises will aid in the
suppling lessons of the mounted horse. To
elevate the head of the horse, the trainer will
stand in front of the animal, and taking a ring of
the bit in each hand, he will, without unnecessary

32 Curb, Snaffle^ and Spur.

force, extend his arms upward until the neck and
head of the horse are raised as high as he can
reach. He should then gently lower his arms
until the head of the horse comes to a natural
position, placing its face about vertically to the
ground, and inducing it to yield the lower jaw by
gentle plays upon the bit. To bend the head to
the left he will stand on the off-side, a little in
advance of the shoulder, taking the left rein in his
left hand and the right rein in his right hand near
the rings on the bit, and he will gently turn the
bit in the mouth of the horse so that the head is
well turned to the left, the face placed about ver-
tically to the ground by the tension upon both
reins, the jaw and neck of the horse being kept
free of rigidity by the gentle manner in which the
bit is used. In a similar way the head of the
horse should be turned to the right, the man
standing on the near side in front of the shoulder.
These exercises give control over the positions of
the head of the horse, and make the neck and
jaw supple, so that the animal becomes light and
yielding to the reins when it is mounted ; and in
conducting the bending lessons, the trainer should
take care that the head of the horse is held as

Riding the Young Horse.

33

high as it should be carried when the horse is
straight, and in motion under the rider. The
young horse must have sufficient exercise, or the
trainer will not be able to direct and keep its

CARRYING THE CROUP ABOUT THE FOREHAND.

attention. Many of the disorderly movements,
which may become vices, are due to the hysterical
condition of the horse. Horses too fresh, and
even old trained horses, are difficult to control
when nervous from want of work.

3

34 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

While the other exercises on foot are being
employed, the preliminary lesson for carrying the
croup about the forehand may be given. The
trainer, standing at the shoulder of the horse, on
the near side, and holding the reins under the
chin of the horse in his left hand, should give a
slight tap of the whip upon the left side, near the
girths, so that the horse will take one step to the
right with the hind legs, the forehand being held
in place. This will throw the right fore leg a
little in rear of its proper place for the new posi-
tion, and it will be brought up by a tap of the
whip. Then another step will be demanded from
the croup, and the right fore leg be again brought
up to its place. In this way, step by step, the
croup will be made to go about the forehand, the
left fore leg acting as a fixed pivot, no step being
permitted that is not demanded. In the same
manner, the croup will be carried to the left, about
the right fore leg as a pivot, the trainer standing
at the shoulder on the off-side, and holding the
reins under the animal's chin in his right hand,
while, with the whip in his left hand, he delivers
the taps upon the right flank of the horse.

CHAPTER III.

HAND AND HEEL. —THE TROT, THE WALK, CHANGES
OF DIRECTION.

THE horse having been taught to go forward
freely against a constant light tension upon
the reins, it is proper to employ lessons which
will confirm its obedience to the combined effects
of hands and heels, to demand even and regular
paces, and to increase the discipline by which we
are to deprive the horse of volition. A brisk,
slow trot is the best pace in which to produce
these effects; for until the horse is brought to
answer every application of the hands and heels,
we must have the impulse of a forward move-
ment, upon which the hand may act. A very
important rule should be observed in riding ;
that is, the pressure of the rider's legs, or of his
heels, must always precede any action of the hand.
I do not now speak of the spur, for that should
not be used until the education of the animal
is more advanced ; and I may say here that the

36 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

occasions when the sharp rowel may be applied
to the well-trained horse are very rare, as the
sensitive animal will readily answer the side of
the heel or the pressure of the calf of the leg. If
the young horse does not answer to the heel, the
demand may be enforced by a light whip-tap
delivered behind the girths. The snaffle should
still be the bit employed, for while it is only the
exceptional horseman who can get the best effects
in uniting the horse from this simple mouthpiece,
it is less harassing to the young horse than the
curb-bit, and there is still much work that can be
accomplished with it. The aim of the rider in
the remaining lessons in the snaffle should be to
teach the horse, while it maintains a good bear-
ing, to move in free, even, and regular paces, and
to make the changes of direction smoothly and
correctly. The rider's heels will bring up im-
pulses which will be directed and controlled by
the hand. If the mouth has been made a trifle
rigid in teaching the horse to face the bit, it may
now be softened by using gentle tensions upon
'the reins, and by bringing the hind legs of the
animal under the mass by the application of the
rider's heels. Upon mounting, the rider will draw

Hand and HeeL 37

the reins until they take a feeling upon the mouth
of the horse. The rider's legs will then be closed
against the flanks, and the hand will make gentle
vibrations of the reins until the head of the horse
is sustained without support, and the mouth gives
elastic response to the hand. The rider will then
know by the movement of the muscles under him
that the impulses are ready, and if the hand gives
sufficient liberty, the horse will move off in a
walk, the rider's legs demanding impulse, and the
hand receiving and directing this impulse. In
the early lessons, the rider should not require too
close a collection in any pace, but the forehand
must not be allowed to get heavy, nor the hind
quarters be permitted to drag. A slightly in-
creased pressure of the rider's heels, enforced by
a whip-tap if necessary, will increase the impulse,
which will be so directed by the hand that the
horse shall quicken its action into the trot. The
speed should not be very great, but the movement
should be clean and strong, the best possible action
in which to cultivate the use of the aids and to
practice the union of the extremities. In this
strong but slow trot the rider should maintain a
regular rate of speed, demanding such collection

38 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

as he can without harassing the horse, but always
having in view a clear and even pace. To turn
to the right, the rider will increase the pressure
of his legs upon the flanks, the left leg a little
more strongly than the right, and draw the right
rein sufficiently, while the left measures its effect,
so that the body of the horse will keep true to the
line of the change of direction. When the change
has been effected, the reins will take an even
bearing upon the mouth, and the same state of
collection will be observed as that held before the
change. The change of direction to the left will
be made in exactly the same manner, the right
and left aids being interchanged. To bring the
horse to a walk, the rider's legs should first close
against the animal's flanks, and the tension upon
the reins be increased until the horse reduces the
speed to a walk, when the hand will permit it
liberty to advance in that pace, while the rider's
legs maintain sufficient impulse to insure it being
clear and even. The changes of direction will
be made as in the trot. To bring the horse to a
halt, the riders legs will first close against the
sides of the horse, and the hand will increase the
tension of the reins until the horse stops, when

Hand and Heel. 39

first the hand, and then the rider's legs, will cease
to act. In increasing or decreasing the speed,
the rider's legs will always act before the hand,
so that by insuring impulses from the croup, the
hand shall always have something with which it
may deal. In the walk and in the trot, the horse
should be ridden in straight lines, in changes of
direction upon circumferences of various diam-
eters, and in figures of eight ; and for a few7 min-
utes each day the animal should be put into a
good brisk trot, as rapid as proves consistent with
cadenced action ; that is, the impulses from the
croup must not be so great as to throw the weight
upon the forehand, nor must the forehand be
so elevated, or its forces so carried back, as to
impede the hind quarters. Whenever fresh im-
pulses are demanded from the croup, the hand
must receive them and measure their effects ; so
in taking the walk from a halt, or the trot from
the walk, the hand first relaxes the tension until
the impulse is received, and then meets the im-
pulse. In reducing the speed, and in coming to
a halt, the rider's heels close against the sides,
and the hand increases the tension upon the
mouth, until the desired result is obtained, and

40 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

the hand ceases to act before the heels are with-
drawn from the sides, so that the speed is not
decreased or the halt effected too suddenly, or
followed by an undesired movement backwards.
During all of these lessons, the rider should, by
using gentle vibrations and light tensions upon
the reins, make the mouth of the horse sensitive
and light, his heels carrying the hind legs well
under the mass, so that the horse may have no
reason to hang upon the hand. The horse should
also be made to stand quietly under its rider, and
permit him to make movements and changes of
position while it is. at a halt.

CHAPTER IV.

SUPPLING AND COLLECTING. THE UNION AND

BALANCE OF THE FORCES.

THE resistances of the horse depend upon the
rigidity of the muscles of the head, neck
and back, whether intentional or due to confor-
mation. When, by cultivating the instinctive
actions that follow the application of the bit and
spur, we have brought the horse to' obey every
application of the aids, we can overcome the faults
due to the natural conformation by giving an
artificial carriage suited to the circumstances, and
we can depend upon the animal yielding its will
to the demands of the rider. For example, the
first impulse of the horse upon the touch of the
bit is to yield the jaw; the second impulse is to
avoid the restraint and to pull against the bit.
We can cultivate the first impulse until the horse
instinctively answers the slightest touch of the
bit, or we can make the mouth hard and rigid.
The first impulse at the touch of the spur is to

42 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

carry forward the hind leg of the side upon which
it is applied, and to bend away the croup; the
second impulse would be to spring forward from
the planted hind leg. We can cultivate these
impulses so that we can control the forces of the
croup, and we can demand either one or both of
the impulses. By this cultivation of these in-
stinctive muscular actions which follow the appli-
cation of the aids, we can readily conquer the
active resistances of the horse, and we can correct
the faults of conformation and carriage to give it
the bearing best suited to controlled movements
under its burthen. A horse at liberty might
move with perfect ease and grace; but when it
bears the weight of a man, and its movements are
checked and impeded by bit and spur, it would be
awkward and constrained in its carriage if the
rider did not arrange the weights and forces to
conform to the new order of affairs. The well-
formed horse requires less aid from the trainer
than the horse of defective structure, but all
horses must submit to an artificial carriage before
they can bear a man safely and smoothly. It is
not every saddle horse that is trained according
to an accepted " method ;" but whether the trainer

Suppling and Collecting.

43

knew the fact or not, something of a method was
employed before the horse was safe or easy to
ride, and it is possible that the horse in self-
defence sometimes picks up a proper bearing

ELEVATION OF THE HEAD, MOUNTED.

without the rider being aware of it. Any man
who has " broken " a colt must have seen how
awkward and rough-paced was the animal at first,
and how gradually it acquired a smoother and
better balanced mode of moving. The object of

44 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

a systematized method is to hasten and perfect
this change from an awkward and unwilling yield-
ing to a quick, even, and ready obedience.

The hand can elevate or depress the forehand
of the horse. The heels can bring forward the
forces of the croup to their highest powers, or
even beyond that point, where they will be domi-
nated by the raised forces of the forehand. Be-
tween hand and heel the rider can place the
weights and forces of the extremities where he
wishes. For smooth, even, and regular paces he
will bring the weights and forces into a point so
near that of union and balance that those of the
hind quarters will have such predominance as
will permit the mass to go forward at the desired
rate and pace. A halt will be the result of an
equilibrium of the forces of the extremities. A
retrograde movement will be where the forehand
predominates sufficiently to let the mass move to
the rear. In the same way, either extremity may
be fixed to a spot, and any movement would be
some form of pirouette, or a raising of the other
extremity,

To bring about this union and balance of the
forces, the trainer must not only obtain control

Suppling and Collecting.

45

over the forces and weights of the extremities of
the forehand and of the hind quarters, but he
must know how to correct the natural defects of
the animal, so that he can readily produce what

POSITION OF THE HEAD.

he desires. He must reduce the effects of the
stronger parts, and he must strengthen the
powers of the weaker parts. If the horse be high
and well developed in the forehand, and weak and
deficient in the hind quarters, it will be necessary

46 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

to have the head carried low enough to permit
the forces of the croup to be brought up to a
point of balance between them and the forces of
the forehand, or the forehand will dominate the
croup, or the forces of the croup will be languid,
and there will be no unison of action. If the
hind quarters be strong and high, and the fore-
hand low and heavy, or weak, the head of the
horse must be elevated sufficiently to carry back
the forces of the forehand, and the hind legs must
be brought under the mass to lower the croup so
that the forces of the extremities may be in bal-
ance ; otherwise the croup will overpower the
forehand, and the action of the latter will be dull
and cramped.

The form of the animal will suggest to the
trainer the exercises best suited to it ; and when
the rider mounts the horse, he should soon dis-
cover what is necessary to bring the forces into
the so-called equilibrium. If the horse hangs
upon the hand, and is heavy in front, the head
should be elevated, and the forces of the forehand
be carried back, while the heels bring under the
mass the forces of the croup. If the action of
the hind quarters is languid, the forehand should

Suppling and Collecting.

47

.be lowered, and the forces of the croup should be
stimulated and brought up to the proper point.

When the face of the horse is vertical, the jaw
pliant, the spine devoid of rigidity, and the horse

DROPPING HEAD.

seems to grow under the rider, while the action is
light, regular, and even, the man should know
that the forces are collected and in the best
possible position for obtaining perfectly con-
trolled movements. The following exercises are

48 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

designed to give the rider power over the forces
of the forehand and of the croup, to enable him to
obtain and preserve this condition, in which the
horse is ready to obey any demand. The trainer
may now put on the double-reined bridle to
accustom the horse to the two bits, but there
should be no curb-chain, and the snaffle only will
be used.

To make the horse elevate the /iead,.the rider will
separate the snaffle-reins, and draw them until he
has a light feeling upon the mouth, closing his
legs against the flanks ; he will then raise the
hands so that he takes a light upward pull upon
the reins, and brings the head of the horse as high
as possible, the face parallel with the ground.

From the position described in the foregoing
paragraph, he should bring the head into posi-
tion by gradually dropping the hands and carry-
ing them towards his body with light vibratory
touches upon the reins, slightly pressing the heels
against the flanks to keep the horse up to the bit.
When the horse curves the crest, and brings the
face about vertical to the ground, the jaw being
pliant and the head not too low, the rider should
release the tension upon the reins to reward the
horse.

Suppling and Collecting.

49

To make the horse lower the head, the rider
should take a light feeling upon the mouth, with
his legs closed against the flanks ; the hand
should then be held low and a steady tension

BENDING THE HEAD, MOUNTED.

taken upon the reins : the moment the horse
lowers the head, the hand should release the
tension upon the reins, the legs be withdrawn
from the flanks, and the animal should be re-
warded, Then by another tension upon the

50 Curd, Snaffle, and Spur.

reins, made in the same manner, the head should
be still further depressed, and this obedience
acknowledged. By degrees, the horse can be
taught to lower the head until the nose reaches
the ground.

To assist in making the whole neck and the
jaw supple, the rider should bend the head first to
one side, and then to the other, until 'the horse can
be brought to carry the face to the rear without
rigidity or resistance. To make this bend, say to
the left, the rider will put the horse perfectly
straight, the face vertical to the ground, and the
head carried at a natural height. Then the
snaffle-reins being held divided in the two hands,
he should close his legs against the flanks, the
right leg a little more strongly than the left, and
by gentle tensions upon the left rein, supported
and governed by the right rein, he will give the
head of the horse a slight bend to the left. The
object of the rider will be to obtain this by as
light tension upon the reins as will produce the
bend, and he should keep the head at the proper
height, the face vertical to the ground, and the
under jaw of the horse elastic and supple: gradu-
ally the bend, will be made until the face looks to

Suppling and Collecting.

the rear. The rider will always carry back the
head to the position straight with the body by
means of the reins, not permitting the horse to
volunteer this. In the same manner, and with

CARRYING THE HIND LEGS UNDER THE BODY.

the same care, the head and neck shall be bent to
the right, right and left aids being interchanged.

The rider should occasionally make the horse
carry its hind legs under the body by closing both
heels against the flanks and giving light whip-

Curb, Snaffle, and Spiir.

taps upon the rump, holding the forehand in
place. To bring the horse into a natural position,
the hind legs should not be permitted to move to
the rear, but the trainer should induce the horse

CARRYING THE HIND LEGS UNDER THE BODY.

to advance the fore legs until the horse rests
easily.

Should the mounted horse be slow in learning
this, a few lessons given on foot will soon show it
what the trainer demands. Standing on the near

Suppling and Collecting. 53

side, and holding the snaffle-reins in the left hand
under the horse's chin, the man should apply the
whip in light strokes upon the rump ; as soon as
a hind leg is carried under the body the horse
should be rewarded, and the lesson then be
resumed, and the other hind leg be brought up.
In time the horse, mounted or unmounted, can
be made to carry both hind legs well under its
body.

When the mounted horse will answer readily
the combined applications of the whip and of the
heels, the whip taps should be dispensed with,
and the hind legs should be carried under the
mass at the pressure of the rider's heels, while
the hand gently keeps the forehand in place.

CHAPTER V.

REVERSED PIROUETTES, LOW PIROUETTES, BENDING
HEAD IN ACTION. TRAVERS AND *RENVERS.

THE exercises described in this chapter may
be conducted in the snaffle-bridle, or in the
double bridle without the curb-chain, the rider
using the snaffle-reins. The lessons will be
begun by practice in some of the preceding ex-
ercises, particularly in those in which the horse
shows the least improvement, and the animal
should be ridden in the walk and in the trot, but
not to the point of fatigue. I may say here that
it is an excellent practice to put the young horse,
even after it has been placed in the double bridle,
through the whole course of lessons from the
beginning.

The reversed pirouette is a movement in which
the horse carries the croup about the forehand,
the outer fore leg acting as a fixed pivot; that
is, if the croup is carried about to the right, the

Movements upon Two Paths.

55

left fore leg will remain upon the ground, and the
body will go about it, the other legs taking such
steps as to insure the movement being made
smoothly and lightly. The reversed pirouette

REVERSED PIROUETTE.

prepares the horse for the gallop and the gallop
change, supples and makes obedient the hind
quarters, and is most useful generally in the edu-
cation of the animal. To teach this to the horse,
say to the right, the rider will bring it to a halt,

56 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

and demand some degree of union of the extremi-
ties by a pressure of the legs against the flanks,
and a light tension upon the reins ; he will then
bend the head slightly to the right, by an increased
tension upon the right rein measured by the left
rein, and increase the pressure of the left heel
until the croup takes one step to the right, the
forehand held in place. If the horse volunteers
more steps, it will be stopped by the right heel of
the rider. Upon its taking the step to the right,
the rider shall reward the horse by withdraw-
ing the aids. The horse should then again be
collected, be made to take a second step, and then
be stopped and rewarded. In time it should be
made to make the complete circle of the croup,
step by step, about the forehand, the head bent
to the right, the left fore leg in place as a pivot,
and the whole horse light and without rigidity.
The short steps of the right fore leg should be
induced by a vibration of the right rein, and if
necessary, the rider may tap the right fore leg
with the whip, to insure its being brought up as
the position of the mass changes. Should the
horse not answer the left heel readily, its indica-
tion may be enforced by the rider carrying his

Movements upon Two Paths. 57

right hand behind his back, and tapping the
horse with the whip upon the left side, just behind
the girths.

The pirouette reversed to the left should be
made in the same way, right and left aids being

APPLYING WHIP TO THE NEAR FLANK.

interchanged. If the whip is used to teach the
indication of the right heel in bending the croup
to the left, it should be held in the rider's right
hand, with the tip down, and be applied just

58 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

behind the girths, as the right heel is giving its
pressure. These pirouettes reversed should be
made from the halt, until the horse is put into
the double bridle, and the rider should insist
upon as much lightness and regularity as he can
demand.

The low pirouette is an exercise for disciplin-
ing the forehand, and in preparing the animal
for the pirouettes in action. In the low pirouette
the forehand is carried about the croup at the
walk, the inner hind leg acting as the pivot,
the outer hind leg being moved sufficiently, as
the horse turns, to keep its proper place, with
regard to the changing positions of the mass ;
the head of the horse should be slightly bent in
the direction of the movement. To teach the
movement, say to the right, the horse should be
united between hand and heels ; the head of the
horse should then be slightly bent to the right,
and the forehand moved about the croup by the
action of the reins, the increased tension upon
the right rein being measured by the left, the left
leg of the rider holding the croup in place, and
inducing the movement of the left hind leg of
the horse ; when the half-circle has been made,

Movements upon Two Paths.

59

the horse should be put straight in the new
position and rewarded.

The low pirouette to the left may be made in
the same manner, the right and left aids being

LOW PIROUETTE.

interchanged, the head of the horse slightly bent
to the left, the left hind leg being the pivot.

The horse should also be practised in bending
the. head to the right and to the left, while in the
walk, upon direct lines, and upon circumferences

60 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

of circles. As a rule, this bend should not be
very great, as the rider must avoid teaching the
horse to throw its head too far to either side ; but
the forehand must be so supple that, should the
rider require it, he can turn the head so far that
the horse looks to the rear. The horse must not
be permitted to volunteer the bend, or to bend
further than is demanded, or to carry the head
back to the line of progress, but the whole of the
forehand should be under the rider's control, and
the jaw should be light and elastic, and every
tension upon one rein must have its effect meas-
ured and controlled by the other rein ; that is,
in such demands for bends and turns, there
should always be a tension upon both reins, the
acting rein having the stronger tension, the other
rein guarding against too great an effect of the
acting rein.

We have now but one exercise remaining for
the snaffle, the movement upon two paths, the
forehand on one path slightly in advance of the
croup upon a parallel path, the head slightly bent
in the direction of progress. When, in changing
direction in this movement, the forehand follows
the outer path of the greater circumference, we

Movements upon Two Paths.

61

have the travers. When the croup follows the
path of the greater circumference at the turns
and changes of direction, we have the renvers ;
that is, in the riding house, "the head to the

•i

TRAVERS.

wall" upon two paths is travers, "the croup to
the wall " is renvers.

To teach the movement upon two paths, say
to the right, the rider will take the horse well
united in a walking pace, with a wall on the left
hand : then he will slightly bend the head to the

62 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

right, and increase the pressure of his left heel
against the flank, until the horse moves sideways,
with its body placed diagonally across the line of
movement, the forehand a little in advance of the
croup, the left leg of each extremity passing in
front of the right leg. At first, the rider should
be content with a few steps to the side, and then
he should straighten the horse and let it proceed
for a short time on \a direct single path. To
make the turn in travers, the croup will be re-
tarded upon a small circle, while the forehand is
carried about the larger outside circle, so that,
when the change of direction has been made, the
horse will be in the proper position with reference
to the two paths. By gradually extending the
lessons, the horse should be brought to go any
required distance in travers, the horse being light
and without rigidity or resistance in any part,
and being kept well up to the lines. The travers
to the left may be made in the same manner,
right and left aids being interchanged. Head to
the wall should be well practised before the rider
undertakes croup to the wall or renvers, as in the
latter movement the rider does not have, to so
great an extent, the assistance of the wall in con-
trolling the position of the horse. As the aids

Movements upon Two Paths. 63

are used in exactly the same manner in both
movements, the lessons in travers prepare the
animal for the renvers.

To make the horse perform the renvers, say to
the left, the rider will take the animal in a united

RENVERS.

walk on a single path about half its length from
the wall, which will be on his left hand, then by
bending its head slightly to the left, and by
increasing the pressure of the right heel, he will
induce the horse to pass along on two paths, the

64 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

forehand a little in advance of the croup, which
will be, by the bend given it, close to the wall,
and in a measure guided by it. In changing
direction in renvers, the forehand will be retarded
upon the inner smaller circle, while the croup
goes about on the outer larger circumference, the
horse holding its proper position to the two lines,
at every point, during the turn, so that the body
will be diagonally disposed across the lines when
the change has been made and the new direction
is followed.

Great care should be taken in the exercise
upon the two paths that the position of the
horse, its suppleness and elasticity, and its regu-
larity of pace are observed; as much of the
precision and promptness with which all other
movements may be made are dependent upon the
discipline exacted in travers and renvers.

It should now be a very easy matter to perfect
the training of the horse. We have passed the
stage where resistances are to be expected ; we
should have the horse fairly suppled and obedient
to the aids, with a lightness and vivacity that
gives a very different bearing from that we found
in the timorous and awkward colt; and when, in
the double bridle, we can bring about the various

Movements upon Two Paths. 65

forms of balance and union of the forces, the
rider may demand and secure any movement or
action of which the animal is physically capable.

After the horse has been taught to pass " in
head to the wall," and " in croup to the wall,"
smoothly and regularly, it should be made to
perform travers and renvers away from the wall,
when the rider must depend wholly upon the
hand and the heels. In these movements to
either hand upon two paths, the shoulder of the
rider upon the side of the movement should be
slightly retired : that is, in travers or renvers to
the right, the right shoulder of the rider should
be retired ; in travers or renvers to the left, the
left shoulder should be retired.

There is a movement practised in most armies
called schlissen, or "closing up," in which the
horse is made to pass to the right or to the left
upon two paths, with the body straight across
the line of direction ; but this is objectionable by
reason that the horse is apt to knock its legs.
Intervals can be readily closed by the oblique
movements, and awkward interferences of the
horse's legs are avoided.

5

n.

IN THE DOUBLE-REINED BRIDLE.

CHAPTER I.

THE UNION AND BALANCE OF THE FORCES. IN

HAND, THE UNION, THE HALF-HALT.

FROM this time forth the complete double-
reined bridle should be used, the curb-chain
so arranged that it will fit into the chin groove
without pinching, and yet not so loose that
the effect of the lever is diminished. The curb-
chain should never be changed to give a lighter
or a stronger effect to the bit ; but any desired
changes in the powers of the curb-bit should be
by the use of long or short branches. For the
ordinary purposes with horses of normal jaws
a bit with branches measuring four and one-
half inches from the middle of the mouth-piece
to the fitting of the lower ring should be found
to answer.

The curb-bit is a lever which acts upon the
bare bars of the lower jaw of the horse, and
gives the rider greater power in certain ways
over the animal than the snaffle, which does

70 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

not always take its bearing upon the most
sensitive points; but the latter has a wider
range of effect than the curb-bit, and should
be used with it to assist the stronger instrument
when it fails by reason of its limits. The curb-
bit is of use in restraining and in carrying back
the impulses. The snaffle is of use in elevating
or in depressing the forehand, and in teaching
the changes of direction.

The trainer should consider the two extremi-
ties of the horse as parts of a machine which
should be made to work in unison. The rider's
heels control the hind quarters and bring up
the impulses. The hand controls the forehand
and directs the mass, which has been united
between the application of the aids. The forces
of the extremities should be united as closely
and be kept as level as is consistent with the
movement which the rider desires to obtain.

When a horse moves along in a shambling
pace, bearing upon the hand or dragging its
hind quarters, it is dis-united, and is in no con-
dition to give quick and ready obedience to its
rider, or even to bear him with safety. Should
the rider demand increased impulses from the

In Hand. — The Union. — The Poise. 71

croup and meet these with the hand until the
cadence of the pace becomes regular, and the
animal moves with its head held perpendicu-
larly to the plane of movement, its neck curved,

IN HAND IN THE TROT.

its mouth supple, and taking just such a tension
upon the reins as permits the indications of
the reins to be given, the horse is " in hand,"
the state in which the animal should habitually
be ridden.

72 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

A still closer collection is " the union," in
which the forces are so nearly balanced that
the pace is very slow and the increased exertion
of the horse is turned into action. It is best
taught from a slow trot, the impulses from the
croup in that pace giving the hand the means
of bringing about the close collection of the
forces. When the crest is curved, the jaw is
pliant, and the muscles of the neck swell and
play, and the horse seems to grow under the
rider, while the pace is one in which with bold
and high action each pair of diagonally disposed
legs work in perfect unison, the horse then is in
" the union," the highest form of collection con-
sistent with motion in which there is no pause
at each stride. The union may also be pro-
duced in the gallop, where the pace will be one
of four beats. The union is used in reducing
the speed for changes of direction, as prelimi-
nary for the half-halt, and for the production
of brilliant action.

When the forces are brought to a point of
absolute union and balance under the rider
there can be no motion, and we have the half-
halt or poise. The horse is still in action, that

In Hand. — The Union. — The Poise. 73

is, the legs are flexed ; but there is a momentary
pause brought about by bringing back the
forces of the forehand until they meet in
balance the acting forces of the croup. From

UNITED TROT.

this poise the horse may be moved to the front,
to the rear, or to either side, while the animal
is still light, by the aids making some demand
before the flexed legs are planted. As this
half-halt requires great nervous and muscular

74 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

exertion, it can only be sustained for the moment,
and the horse must either make some movement,
or grow heavy or disorderly. The half-halt
is employed in teaching the gallop changes, in
making marked changes of directions, as in the
pirouettes direct and reversed, and in bringing
the horse to a finished halt from action. There
may be intermediate forms of collection ; but
the three we have fixed upon have their uses and
their distinctive peculiarities. For example, if
the forces are more closely collected than " the
union," we should have a pause in each stride,
as is the case in the " passage ;" or if the forces
are less closely collected than in " the union,"
we might have more action than when " in
hand," but lose the brilliancy and the bold
strides of "the union."

" In hand " is, therefore, the lowest form of
collection in which we can have suppleness and
clear even paces.

" The union" is where we have the closest
collection compatible with uninterrupted motion.

" The poise " is a half-halt, produced by bring-
ing the forces of the extremities to a point of
union and balance, and can be maintained for

In Hand. — The Union. — The Poise. 75

a moment only, when some movement should
be demanded, while the legs are flexed, or the
horse should be permitted to come to a finished
halt and the aids be withdrawn.

HALF-HALT FROM THE TROT.

These different forms of collection should
be practised in the walk, in the trot, in the
gallop, and at the halt. As has been said, it is
easier to produce them from the trot than from
either the halt, or the other paces, as the trot

) Snaffle, and Spiir.

is a level gait in which the strong and regular
impulses assist the aids in uniting the horse.
But the rider should be able to bring the horse
" in hand in place" after one or two lessons in

IN HAND IN PLACE.

the curb-bit, and in time he will be able to
demand the closer collections without the im-
pulses of the paces. The horse should always
be brought in hand in place before any move-
ment is required. The closer forms of collec-

In Hand. — The Union. — The Poise. 77

tion at the halt 'may be practised simply for the
discipline they involve.

It should be borne in mind that the tension
upon the curb-reins should never be long-con-
tinued or severe; the bridle-hand should give
vibratory plays upon the mouth, so that it will
be kept fresh and elastic, ready to yield to any
demand of the reins, and never forced to a
rigid resistance for a defence against a cruel
use of the bit. When the horse has been so
disciplined that it instinctively gives up all
opposition to the bit, the animal cannot rear, bolt,
or refuse to turn. When it has been so disci-
plined that it instinctively answers to the spur,
a more difficult task, the rider's will is para-
mount in everything.

CHAPTER II.

INDIRECT INDICATIONS OF THE CURB-BIT. — :
IN THE DOUBLE BRIDLE.

THE trained horse should be ridden with the
reins held in one hand, the other being
free, to assist the bridle-hand or for any other
purpose. It will be necessary to teach the horse
to obey the touches of the curb-rein upon the
neck, or the indirect indications of the curb-bit, as
we may call them, so that the bridle-hand may
control the movements of the horse without the
aid of the snaffle, which up to this time has been
the bit in which the horse has been trained.

The trainer must see that the horse under-
stands and obeys the direct as well as the indirect
indications of the curb-bit, for they are not incom-
patible, and it will be safer for the latter to be
preceded by a slight suggestion of the direct
touch of the bit in the manner I shall hereafter
explain.

Indirect Indications of the Curb-Bit. 79

In teaching the indirect indications of the
curb-bit, I have found the following manner of
holding the reins very efficient: the curb-reins
held in the left hand divided by the little finger,
the loose ends of the reins carried through the
hand, and held fast by the thumb against the fore-
finger ; the hand held high or low as the horse
requires the head to be elevated or lowered,
the thumbs pointing towards the horse's ears.
The right hand, carried above the left, should
hold the snaffle-reins, and when it is necessary to
employ the latter, the left hand will release the
tension upon the curb-reins, the tension upon the
curb-reins being resumed when the snaffle ceases
to act ; that is, there should not be a tension
upon both sets of reins at the same time.

If the exercises described in the preceding
chapters have been carefully carried out, the rider
should experience no difficulty in bringing the
horse to the various forms of collection with the
curb-reins, particularly if he bears in mind that
the impulses from action help the aids in uniting
the extremities of the horse.

To turn the horse to the right, the right snaffle-
rein, supported and its effects measured by the

8o Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

left snaffle-rein, will begin the turn ; and as soon
as the head bends in the new direction, the left
hand will be carried to the right so that the left
curb-rein will take a tension against the left side
of the neck of the horse ; this interposition of
the neck will give to the curb-bit an indication
similar to the direct tension upon the snaffle-
rein. As soon as the change has been effected,
the snaffle-reins will straighten the horse, and
the even tension upon the curb-reins will be
resumed.

In the same way the turn to the left will be
begun by the left snaffle-rein, supported and its
effects measured by the right snaffle-rein, and
then the left hand will be carried to the left until
the right curb-rein takes a tension against the
right side of the neck of the horse. The snaffle-
reins will straighten the horse after the change of
direction has been made, and then the even
tensions upon the curb-reins will be resumed.

Of course, in these, and in all other changes of
direction upon single lines, the horse will first be
prepared by a closer collection, and the outside
heel will keep the croup upon the path followed
by the forehand.

Indirect Indications of the Curb- Bit. 81

In the walk and in the trot, the horse should
be made to change direction in this manner, and
to pass in circles of various diameters and in
various figures, the same principles being ob-
served. Gradually the introductory direct indi-
cation of the snaffle-reins may be reduced and
finally be dispensed with, the curb-reins alone
being used in changing direction, when the curb-
reins should be employed in the following man-
ner : still held in the left hand, the thumb
pointing towards the ears of the horse, the snaffle-
reins held loosely in the left hand, divided by the
long finger, or in the right hand, as the rider
elects. To turn to the right, the bridle-hand will
be turned so that the thumb points to the rider's
right shoulder, which gives a direct indication of
the right curb-rein ; the bridle-hand is then
carried to the right so that the left curb-rein has
a tension against the left side of the horse's neck,
which gives an indication similar in effect to that
already made by the right curb-rein. When the
change of direction has been made, the hand
should be dropped, and an even tension taken
upon the two curb-reins.

To turn to the left, the left hand should ^be

6

82 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

turned so that the thumb points towards the
ground over the left shoulder of the horse ; this
gives a direct tension upon the left curb-rein.
The hand should then be carried to the left, so
that the right curb- rein takes a tension against
the right side of the horse's neck, which will give
an indication similar in effect to that made by the
direct tension upon the left curb-rein. When the
change of direction has been effected, the hand
should be placed in position, and an even tension
taken upon the two curb-reins.

By a little practice, the horse may be taught to
elevate or to depress the head by means of the
curb-reins in exactly the same manner as with
the snaffle-reins ; and this practice is essential, as
a thoroughly trained horse should be managed
by the curb-bit independently of the snaffle,
although it is always safe to have the latter, in
case, through lack of discipline, the horse fails to
obey the curb-bit in the points where its effects
are the weakest.

I wish to say here that I have never seen a
" combination bit " that could supply the place
of curb and snaffle. To properly control the
saddle-horse, one must have the effects of the

Indirect Indications of the Curb-Bit. 83

snaffle, — the best bit, and perhaps the most
ancient mouth-piece made of metal, — and he
should have the curb-bit in connection with it.
If a single bit is used it should be the snaffle,
and never the other alone. I do not dispute that
many of the patent bits may be of value for har-
ness-horses, but they are worthless for the rider ;
and the Pelham bit, which has for many years
been widely employed, does not give either of
the two principal effects for which it was
designed.

CHAPTER III.

THE GALLOP. THE GALLOP CHANGES.

I DO not put my horses into the gallop until
they have been thoroughly disciplined in the
walk and in the trot in the various forms of col-
lection. It is then a very simple thing to teach
a horse to gallop with true action in an even
cadence.

In the gallop, a horse goes into air from a fore
leg in each stride ; it then plants the hind leg of
the opposite side, then the other hind leg, then
the fore leg of the side of the first planted hind
leg, and finally the remaining fore leg, from which
it again goes into air. In this pace, the legs of
one side take advanced steps in each stride, and
if these be the right legs, the horse is in gallop
right, and if they be the left legs the horse is in
gallop left; that is, in gallop right the horse
plants the left hind leg after going into air; it
then plants the right hind leg, then the left fore

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 85

leg, and lastly the right fore leg, from which it
goes into air for a new stride.

The horse should be in gallop right in turning
to the right, in gallop left in turning to the left,
so that it will have a bearer under the centre of
gravity as the turn is made.

The gallop is called a pace of four beats, but
in the ordinary slow gallop in hand, the second
planted hind leg and the opposite fore leg strike
the ground so nearly at the same moment, that
it becomes a pace of three beats. In the school-
gallop, or shortened gallop, the forehand is so
supported that the second planted hind leg comes
to the ground an appreciable time before the
diagonally disposed fore leg, and the pace is of
four distinct beats. In the rapid gallop the
horse is so much extended, that we have again
an example of four beats.

A horse takes the gallop when the weights
have been shifted so violently that the balance
necessary for the other paces is impossible ; in
the gallop the legs are brought to the ground one
after another, and no matter how great may be
the changes in the position of the centre of grav-
ity, the pace can be maintained as long as the
horse can stand up.

86 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

The horse goes into the gallop by taking the
weights upon the forehand, and by then carrying
one of the hind legs under the centre of gravity,
when it is in some form of the gallop.

The horse is false in the gallop if it turn to the
right in gallop left, or to the left in gallop right,
unless the movement be intentional on the part
of the rider, when it is called the contra gallop.
It is also false in the gallop if the forehand has
gallop right (or left), and the croup has gallop
left (or right) ; that is, a cross gallop.

To teach the horse to take gallop right, the
rider should collect the animal in a very slow
trot; he should then increase the pressure of the
left heel, and make a gentle upward play with
the right rein. These indications of the aids will
demand the necessary impulse, induce the proper
disposition of the hind legs, and lighten the
right side of the forehand, so that, as the left
hind leg is carried under the centre of gravity,
the horse will go into gallop right. When the
horse takes the gallop, the aids must maintain
the action, and the animal should be put straight
upon the line of progress. The rate should not
be so rapid that the horse cannot be kept in

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 87

hand, or so slow and languid that the animal
will be disposed to resume the trot. The up-
ward play of the direct rein should not be too
marked, and it must be supported by the opposite

BREAK INTO GALLOP FROM SLOW TROT.

rein, so that the head will not be displaced. In
the early lessons, the croup will of necessity be
somewhat bent, but as the lessons progress, the
horse must be taught to take the gallop without
a perceptible bend of the croup.

88 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

To teach the horse to take the gallop left, the
right heel will demand the proper position of the
hind legs, and the impulses from the croup, and
an upward play of the left rein will prepare the
fore legs for the proper stride ; the rider's left leg
supporting his right leg as it gives the stronger
pressure, the right rein measuring the effects of
the direct rein. Of course, what has been said
about putting and keeping the horse straight in
the gallop right applies equally here.

After the horse will take and maintain either
gallop right or gallop left, in a free and even
pace, the rider should carefully practise bringing
it to the shortened-gallop (or school-gallop), by
demanding a closer union ; and, in time, from this
shortened-gallop to the "poise," or "half-halt,"
resuming the gallop before the animal has grown
heavy in hand, and gradually making the half-halt
(what it should be) nothing more than a " rest of
one beat " in the cadence of the pace.

When the horse has been taught to observe
the half-halt, it may be taught to take gallop right
and gallop left from " in place " in exactly the
same manner as from the walk or from the
slow trot.

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 89

The horse should have long and carefully con-
ducted lessons in the gallop, being made to
change the rates of speed and the forms of col-
lection at the will of the rider ; and it should be
made to gallop in circles of various diameters,
first with the legs of the side to which it. is turn-
ing making the extended strides, and afterwards
in the contra gallop.

The horse should then be ready to be taught
the gallop changes. I have said that the horse
goes into air from a fore leg at each stride, this
fore leg being the right in gallop right, the left in
gallop left. It is when the hind legs are leaving
the ground for the weight to be thrown upon this
advanced fore leg, that the opportunity is given
the hind legs to change their order, and when the
fore legs are free from the ground they change
their order, and the change is made in one stride
without either extremity being false ; that is, in
changing from gallop right to gallop left, the
hind legs will change their order (so that the
right hind leg will first be planted, and then
the left hind leg, which has passed it, in advance
of it), when they are free from the ground in
some stride, the forehand having the weights;

90 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

and as soon as the right fore leg is free from the
ground, it will be advanced and be again planted,
and then the left fore leg will be advanced and
brought to the ground, the horse going into air
for a new stride from the latter.

To teach the horse to change from gallop right
to gallop left, the animal should be. put into a
very slow gallop right on a straight line. After
some strides in this pace, the rider will bring the
horse to a slow trot for half a dozen strides, and
then very quietly, and without harassing or excit-
ing the horse, put it into gallop left, by collecting
the animal, by slightly retiring his left shoulder,
applying the right leg, and making an upward
play with the left rein.

Gradually these strides in the trot will be
reduced in number, and in time be replaced by a
half-halt between the gallop right and gallop left,
the aids to make the change from the half-halt
being applied gently but with exactness ; and the
shoulder of the rider upon the side of the new
change being slightly retired, so that his weight
will be properly disposed. The half-halt will
then be reduced until the horse makes the
change from gallop right to gallop left in the

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 91

beat of the pace, the horse being closely collected
in a very slow gallop, and the increased pressure
of the rider's right leg and the upward play of
the left rein taking effect at the moment the

GALLOP RIGHT.

advanced hind leg gives its impulse in some
stride. In very rapid gallops the horse must
have the idea of changing before the advanced
fore leg (in the old stride) is brought to the
ground ; but the rider cannot with certainty

92 Curd, Snaffle, and Spur.

demand the gallop changes at a high rate of
speed ; and in the gallop, where changes may be
produced, the principal impulse in each leap
comes from the hind leg on the side of the
advanced fore leg, and it is as this impulse is
being given, that the effects of the aids for
demanding the change should be felt.

During these lessons in changing from gallop
right to gallop left, a similar method should be
followed in teaching the changes from left to
right, both changes being taught in the same
order ; that is, both sides of the horse should be
equally practised in the lessons with the trotting
strides between the changes, and in the lessons
with the half-halt between the changes, and in
the lessons where the changes are made in the
beat of the pace.

To produce the changes smoothly and evenly,
the trainer must be satisfied with very slow pro-
gress : the slight motions of the rider's body
being gently made, and the aids applied neither
abruptly nor roughly.

After the horse will make the changes per-
fectly at any desired stride upon straight lines,
the rider should practise the changes in gallop in

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 93

turning from a circle on one hand to a circle on
the other hand, taking care that the change is
made as the turn to the other hand is demanded ;
for, in turning abruptly from a circle on one

GALLOP CHANGES. FROM RIGHT TO LEFT.

hand to a circle on the other, the horse will often
try to begin the change with the fore legs, and
this is not only a false movement, but it is dan-
gerous, as there would be no support under the
centre of gravity in making the turn. Of course

94 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

this objection holds good for the contra gallop,
but that when made intentionally is made with
care, and by giving it something of the character
of the renvers the rider may reduce the risk.

It will be a mere matter of skill and practice to
make the gallop changes at any stride, or even at
every stride.

It is important that the body of the horse
should be kept straight in both gallops, and the
bend of the horse in making the changes should
be imperceptible ; the motions of the rider's body
as he retires the right shoulder for gallop right,
the left shoulder for gallop left, should also be
slight, the seat from the waist to the knees being
undisturbed, and with a little practice he can
shift the weights by muscular movements in such
a manner that he will not have the appearance of
having changed his position. The less obvious
the motions of the rider in controlling the horse,
the higher will be his skill.

The contra gallop, that is, turning to the right
in gallop left, to the left in gallop right, should
often be practised during the lesson in the
gallop changes, so that the horse shall not volun-
teer an undesired change when a turn happens

The Gallop. — The Gallop Changes. 95

to be made. Until the horse becomes clever on
its feet, these changes of direction in the contra
gallop may be made in renvers (upon two paths)
as the horse will be less apt to fall in the event
of a mistake.

CHAPTER IV.

TROT AND GALLOP. - TRAVERS AND RENVERS. —
PIROUETTES FROM ACTION. - LOW PIROUETTES.
- THE PIROUETTE VOLTE.

I^HE horse should now be ridden in the travers
and renvers in the walk and in the united
trot, both to the right and to the left, upon
straight lines and upon circles, half-circles, and
other figures, changing from travers to renvers
and from renvers to travers, the proper bend of
the head being always demanded, and the diago-
nal position of the body of the horse with refer-
ence to the parallel paths being observed. In
turning from travers to renvers, or from renvers
to travers, large circles should at first be followed,
to be gradually reduced until the movement
becomes a low pirouette, or a pirouette reversed,
the horse having been very closely collected for
abrupt changes of direction.

In riding the horse in the shortened, or united
trot, a very high state of union and balance

The Pirouette Volte. 97

should be demanded, the increased action taking
place under the horse, the pairs of diagonally
disposed legs working in perfect unison, and the
horse being supple throughout. In all the side
movements in this trot the leg of the rider which
demands the movement should give accentuated
pressure as the fore leg of the opposite side is
being raised and extended, in order that the
diagonal action may be obtained and sustained
by the movement of the hind leg on the side of
the acting heel; it being understood that the
other heel of the rider always measures and con-
trols the effect of the heel giving the accentuated
pressure.

At first, the snaffle-reins must assist those of
the curb-bit in demanding these movements upon
two parallel paths ; but the use of the former will
be gradually dispensed with in the manner before
described : the indirect indications of the curb-
rein being always preceded by a tension upon the
direct curb-rein. That is, in bending the head to
the right to pass to the right, the bridle-hand will
be turned towards the rider's right shoulder, to
give a direct tension upon the right curb-rein,
and then carried over to the right so the left

7

98 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

curb-rein will be brought against the neck of the
horse : in bending to the left to pass to the left,
the bridle-hand will be turned so that the thumb
points to the ground over the left shoulder of the
horse, and it should then be carried to the left,
so that the right rein will take a tension with the
right side of the horse's neck intervening.

While upon single direct lines in the united
trot, the horse should be practised in the reversed
pirouettes from that pace.

If, in the united trot, the horse be passing
upon a single straight line, and it be desired to
move in the opposite direction, the rider will
bring the animal to the half-halt, bend the head
slightly to the right and fix the forehand in
place, while his left leg carries the croup about to
the right in the beat of the trot: when the
reversed pirouette is so far made that the horse
faces in the new direction, the animal will be put
straight, the balance between the forces be
resumed by a reduced tension upon the reins and
by demanding renewed impulses from the croup
(which must be met and measured by the hand),
and the horse will go back upon the path by
which it came in the same form of trot, without

The Pirouette Volte.

99

having grown heavy or disunited. The reversed
pirouette left will be made in a similar manner,
by carrying the croup about to the left, the
head bent to the left.

PIROUETTE VOLTE.

All of this work upon two paths, in the walk
and in the trot, prepares the horse for the pirou-
ette volte, the most important movement for the
mounted soldier that we can obtain from the
horse. The trooper who can wheel his horse in

ioo Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

the gallop has a less skilled adversary at a great
disadvantage ; and in everything connected with
the mounted soldier, the bridle-hand makes the
sword hand effective or of no avail.

For the galloping movements upon two paths,
the pace should either be the school gallop or a
slow gallop of three beats.

After the horse is fairly well accustomed to
pass on straight lines, and to make the ordinary
changes of direction of 90° in the travers gallop,
it should be brought to make the travers in the
gallop, to either hand, upon the whole circles of
large diameters, gradually reducing these. The
work upon the circles should not be continued
for any length of time at any one lesson, and the
circles should not be much reduced too rapidly,
or the horse will become heavy and constrained
in action.

The diameters of the circumferences about
which these movements in the travers in gallop
are made will in time be reduced, until the croup
passes about a circle so small that the inner hind
foot treads on a central spot, and we shall have
the pirouette volte.

The demi-pirouette volte will then be demanded

The Pirouette Volte. 101

from the gallop on a single path in a straight line
in the following manner. The horse being in,
say gallop right, the rider, on reaching the point
where the turn is to be made, will demand a half-
halt, retire his right shoulder, throw back the
weights to keep the croup in place, carry the fore-
hand about, and resume the gallop back over the
line upon which the horse has just passed. By
practice, the half-halt can be so much reduced as
to be barely perceptible, and the pirouette volte
will be made almost in the beat of the pace.

The full pirouette volte to the right is made in
the same manner, except that the turn is com-
pleted, and the horse is brought in a series of
gallop strides, the inner hind leg treading in the
centre of the circle about which the body turns,
to face in the original direction.

By a similar means, right and left aids being
interchanged, the demi-pirouette volte and the
full pirouette volte will be made to the left from
gallop left.

The horse should also be made to pass in
circles in the gallop in renvers, the head towards
the centre, the forehand, slightly retarded, upon
the inner circumference.

IO2 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

Whenever, in the gallop upon the two paths
an abrupt turn or change of direction is to be
made, the horse should be brought to a half-halt,
and if the turn requires a change in the gallop
(from right to left or from left to right), the gal-
lop change should be effected when the half-halt
is made ; for it must be borne in mind that in
passing to the right the gallop must be right, in
passing to the left the gallop must be left.

For example, if the horse be in travers gallop
to the left, and it is desired to go back over the
same lines, in travers (or in renvers) left, at the
point where the turn is to be made the rider will
bring the horse to a half-halt, throw back the
forces to fix and hold the croup, carry the fore-
hand about to the left until the body of the horse
is properly placed with regard to the changed
direction, and resume the gallop left upon two
paths in the direction whence the horse has come.
Or, if the horse be in the gallop left upon two
parallel paths, and it is desired to pass back in
gallop right over the same lines, the rider, upon
coming to the point where the change of direction
is to be made, will bring the horse to a half-halt,
change from gallop left to gallop right, throw

The Pirouette Volte. 103

back the forces to fix and hold the croup, carry
the forehand over to the right, so that the body
of the horse will be properly placed across the
parallel paths, and pass to the right, in travers
(or in renvers) in gallop right.

CHAPTER V.

THE UNION WITHOUT THE REINS.

WITH every horseman there may be occa-
sions when it will be important that his
bridle-hand should be free, and that he should be

UNION WITHOUT REINS.

The Union without the Reins.

able to depend upon his horse maintaining the
speed, action, and union, of the moment in which
the tension upon the reins is released. It is also
excellent discipline, on general principles, to ac-

UNION WITHOUT REINS. GALLOP.

custom the horse to move in a regularly cadenced
pace, without the support of the hand.

This union without support can be readily
taught a horse which has been brought to carry
itself in the various forms of collection, by drop-

io6 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

ping the hand for a moment when the horse is in
hand, or more closely united, and resuming the
tension upon the reins before the animal loses its
lightness or has increased its speed, the rider's
heels acting before the tension upon the reins is
resumed, to insure the impulses. This momen-
tary dropping of the hand will be exchanged by
gradual steps for longer periods of unsupport,
until the horse, once in hand or more closely
united, will hold its state of collection and main-
tain the same speed for an appreciable time.
The lessons should first be given in the shortened
trot, and when the horse is thoroughly disciplined
at that pace, it may be taught in the same man-
ner to move without support in the gallop. I
have schooled horses, without any great labor, to
make the gallop changes with the reins loose
upon the neck, by bringing the horse to observe
the half-halt without support when the body of
the rider was bent backwards, and by gently giv-
ing the indications for the change with the spur
at the moment the half-halt was made.

CHAPTER VI.

THE HALT FROM THE GALLOP. - THE USE OF
THE SPURS.

too constant use of the spurs will deaden
A the sensibilities of the horse, and render
it dull and sluggish. Every saddle horse should
be taught to bear the attacks of the spur with
complacency, but the occasions when the sharp
rowel is required on a well-trained horse are
very rare. The schooling of a horse renders it
quick and vivacious ; some horses show so
much mettle and life that their obedience
appears wonderful to the uninitiated ; yet that
very vivacity is one of the results of schooling,
and the animal is taught to be ready to obey
the most gently given demand with precision
and alacrity. The mare which I rode for the
illustrations of the advanced lessons in this
book, shows quick and vigorous movements ;
but she has not been touched with the spur
three times since she was taught to bear its

io8 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

attacks, and she is now at least fifteen years
old.

The best time for teaching the horse to bear
the spur is during the early lessons in the double-
reined bridle; for by that time the animal has
learned something of the indications of the
rider's heels, and should have great confidence
in its trainer. On some occasion when the hind
quarters require stimulating, the rider should
give a slight scratch with the rowel of one
spur, and then calm the horse if it shows sur-
prise or excitement. Later, it should, under
similar circumstances, be given a slight scratch
with the other spur, and again be calmed.
Gradually it should be taught to take the spur
attacks, first of one spur, and then of both
together, with the same complacency with
which it bore the pressure of the bare heels ;
the opportunity for doing this can be found
in the exercises on two paths, and in those
for demanding the various forms of collection.
After the horse has been taught to receive
the spur attacks quietly, the aid may be applied
by pressing the side of the heel against the
flank of the horse, and the spur-scratch should

The Halt from the Gallop. 109

be given only when the severer form of the
aid seems to be required. The spur should
never be used with force, or in punishment.

It is highly important that horses which are
to be employed in the cavalry, should be taught
to come to an immediate halt, even from high
rates of speed. This can be effected without
danger of injury to the animal, if the proper
precautions are observed. The theory is, that
when the hind legs are carried in under the
mass, in any stride, the forehand is raised and
its forces are carried back, while the weights
and the returned momentum are received by
the hind legs when they are in the best position
for taking the shock.

It is a very simple matter to teach the horse
to come to a finished halt in any gallop stride,
and all of the lessons in collecting are pre-
paratory for it; but it should not be practised
until the animal has been thoroughly trained in
everything recommended in the preceding chap-
ter, as the rider requires the fullest obedience.

The rider should first practise the horse in
coming to a halt from the walk (the horse
being well collected) by pressing in both heels,
leaning back in the saddle, and raising the

I IO

Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

bridle-hand, so that the horse will come to a
stop with the hind legs well under the mass. At
the moment the halt is effected the hand should
release the tension upon the reins, and the heels

HALT FROM THE GALLOP.

should be withdrawn from the flanks, and the
horse be permitted to rest.

In the same manner he should bring the
horse to a halt from the trot. He may then
practise the horse in coming to a halt from
the gallop, at first putting the horse into a

The Halt from the Gallop. 1 1 1

slow united pace. As the forehand is about
to take the weight in some stride, he should
quickly press both heels against the sides of
the horse, lean back in the saddle, and raise
the bridle-hand. The result of these move-
ments will be that the hind legs will be carried
under the mass, and be planted so that they
will receive the shock of the sudden halt; and
when the fore legs again reach the ground the
horse will be stationary. The rider should then
lower the bridle-hand and withdraw his heels
from the flanks, and the horse will be at rest.
By gradual lessons he may teach the horse to
come to a halt from higher rates of speed, and
even to come to a half-halt or to a finished halt
in any stride by the pressure of the heels and
the bending back of the body, without making
any use of the reins.1 It was by a combination
of this exercise, and of that of the preceding
chapter, that I was able to make my horses
perform the gallop changes without the use
of the reins.

1 "He went at a gallop straight at the wall, only stopping
when the rider brought him up with the spurs just as his nose
would have touched the bricks." — Account of the Training of
Alidor. London Times, June i, 1883.

CHAPTER VII.

BACKING.

r I ^HE preliminary lessons in backing — that is,
JL those given on foot — may be followed at
any time after the horse has been put into the
snaffle-bridle ; but the horse cannot be taught to
back smoothly and lightly under the rider until
it has been carried as far in its training as the
gallop in the double-reined bridle.

With a little care, the horse may be made to
go backward with action as level and regular as
in the forward movements, and to make turns
and changes of direction with the same precision
as if advancing. The first lessons are to be given
with the trainer on foot. Standing at the near-
side of the horse, he should grasp with his left
hand the snaffle-reins at even lengths under the
horse's chin, and with his right hand give a whip-
tap upon the animal's rump. As soon as an im-
pulse is procured, he should carry his left hand
towards the chest of the horse, so that the leg

Backing.

or legs being flexed will take a step to the rear,
instead of to the front ; this one step having been
taken, he will again tap the horse upon the rump,
release the tension upon the reins, and let the

BACKING. THE IMPULSE.

horse take a few steps forward without its coming
to a full halt. Then he should demand two or
more steps to the rear, and require a few steps
forward before the horse is allowed to get heavy
or come to a halt. These steps to the rear may

8

H4 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

be practised until the horse will go any number
of steps backwards, lightly and smoothly ; but a
forward movement must always be demanded
before the horse rests. A tap of the whip on
either flank while the horse is backing will make
a change of direction opposite to the side upon
which the whip-tap is delivered. To make the
horse turn to the left in backing, the trainer may
stand on the off-side of the horse and take the
reins in his right hand, the whip in his left, or he
may reach over the back of the horse and apply
the whip to the off-side of the animal. These
lessons in backing should be given from time
to time, with sufficient frequency to insure that
the horse does not forget that which has been
demanded.

After the horse has been confirmed in obe-
dience to the effects of the curb-bit by the
various lessons up to the gallop changes, the
trainer should teach it to back when he is mounted.
He will bring the horse in hand in place, and
give an increased pressure of his legs against the
animal's flanks. The moment an impulse is
secured, he will carry back the forces of the fore-
hand, and decrease the pressure of his heels, so

Backing.

that the horse will step to the rear with the leg
which is flexed ; and the step having been taken
to the rear, he will close his legs against the
flanks, and decrease the tension upon the reins

BACKING.

so that the horse will move forward. By degrees
the horse will be made to go any distance to the
rear, the rider taking care that the horse is per-
fectly straight, and that it does not lose its light-
ness. In backing, the rider must never let the

1 1 6 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

horse get from under the control of his heels,
which should be held close to the side, to regulate
the speed, and to enable him to demand the for-
ward movement at any step. To change direc-
tion in backing, there will be an increased
pressure of the rider's heel on the side opposite
to the change, and a slightly increased tension of
the rein of the same side ; that is, in changing
direction in backing to the left, the right heel of
the rider and the right rein will give the increased
effects.

CHAPTER VIII.

JUMPING.

ALL horses intended for saddle uses should
be taught to jump willingly and confi-
dently. The usual practice of chasing a mounted
horse over a long bar by the threatening motions
of a lashed whip held by an assistant cannot
accomplish that which a horseman should desire.
A horse " trained " in such a manner is not only
very apt to become a " refuser," but it is so
hurried and excited that it is impossible that it
should jump with precision and safety. I teach
my horses to jump over an obstacle so narrow
that the temptation to avoid it by going off to
one side or the other is offered, and when it once
is disciplined to go directly for the obstacle, the
idea of refusing a possible jump, or of running
out, does not present itself to the animal's mind.
One of the gates I use with trained horses is but
fourteen inches wide, and this is taken, without
an effort to avoid it, by a horse which was the
most difficult to discipline of any of the animals

n8 Curb, Snaffle, arid Spur.

I have handled for the past five years. The
horse I employed to illustrate my method for this
chapter was a young mare that had never been
asked to face an obstacle until it came into my
hands, and I was still riding it in the breaker's
saddle, as a precaution against plunging, for
which I suspected it had a predilection ; yet in the
second lesson I rode it over a hurdle less than
four feet wide, and it made no attempt to avoid
the jump.1

I do not call upon a young horse to take leaps
higher than three feet, as the animal must not be
discouraged ; but as it becomes stronger and
more confident in its powers, the trainer may
raise the obstacle to any reasonable height, with a
certainty that the horse will make the attempt,
and that it will have possession of its wits in
avoiding a mistake. One of my horses (Alidor)
became so clever in jumping that I frequently
rode it over "doubles " without reins, and it never
made a mistake, either in or out of the school.

1 This mare was put to jumping much too soon, as it had no
mouth, and but little discipline ; but I had no horse that was just
entering the lessons in the double bridle, so I had either to take an
old schooled horse, or one of the green fillies I had selected for
illustrating the early lessons.

Jumping. 1 1 9

During the lessons upon the longe, the horse
should be exercised near the gates and hurdles so
that it may become accustomed to them. When
the horse is ready for its lessons in jumping,

LEADING OVER THE BAR.

which may safely be begun at the end of the
work in the snaffle-bridle, the trainer should lead
it over a bar that is not more than a foot in
height; and after the horse will follow over it
quietly, the animal should be made to pass the

I2O Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

obstacle in the longeing circles, or at the length of
the reins, while the trainer stands at one end of
the bar. Gradually the bar should be raised until
the horse must give a smart jump to pass it.
From time to time the animal should be encour-
aged and rewarded, and should it attempt to avoid
the bar it should be at once led back, and be made
to understand that there is but one way of proceed-
ing, and that directly over the obstacle. It must
not be punished, but a light tap of the whip may
be given to stimulate the impulses, and the jumps
should be cleanly and quietly made. Colored
rugs, bushes, and other objects which would
usually frighten a horse if it were made to face
them without some preparation, should be placed
against the bar until the horse will jump any-
thing the trainer's mind can devise (I used to
longe Alidor over a pony), the man being careful
not to require too much effort on the part of the
horse, and not to fatigue or dishearten it.

The horse should now be ridden over the
obstacles, first as in the lessons in hand, being-
walked over the low bar, and then being trot-
ted up to the bar raised to a height of twenty-
four to thirty inches, so that it must give a true

Jumping.

121

jump to get over. The snaffle-bit onlyshould.be
used in these early lessons, and the tension upon
the reins only sufficient to guide the horse to the
obstacle. The man should make no effort to

JUMPING IN HAND.

raise the horse, or to indicate where it is to take
off for the jump ; and in landing, the animal
should receive a very slight support from the
hand. Any rough treatment, particularly any
severe use of the bit, will be disastrous. The

122 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

horse should look upon the leaping lessons with
pleasure, and it should be rewarded for every
well-made jump.

When the horse jumps fairly well from the trot,
it should be brought to the obstacle in the walk ;
then it should be taught to jump perfectly from
the halt. The horse should not be ridden over
obstacles in the gallop until it has been taught to
gallop well in the double-reined bridle.

As the horse approaches the obstacle in the
walk, the trot, or the gallop, it should be gently
united, so that it may exert all that are necessary
of its powers ; and upon alighting, it should again
be collected to proceed in exactly the same pace
and speed with which it approached the obstacle.
The higher the obstacle the slower should be
the pace, the more closely united should be the
forces, and the more vigorous should be the ac-
tion. In a broad jump the speed should be rapid
enough to give momentum, but it should not be
so fast that the horse cannot collect itself for the
exertion. The most difficult thing in jumping is
to determine exactly how much assistance the
hand should afford as the horse alights ; the ten-
sion upon the reins should never be so great as to

Jumping.

123

impede the horse in its efforts to land safely, and
yet if the horse seeks some support it must find
it. Should the horse ever refuse a leap, or get
into the habit of jumping carelessly, it should be

THE FIRST LEAP OF A YOUNG HORSE.

put back to the early lessons. But it will be the
fault of the rider if a horse once properly trained
ever becomes disorderly in leaping.

Only riders with the firmest of seats and the
lightest of hands should use the curb-bit in

124 Curd, Snaffle, and Spur.

jumping. In case of a fall in jumping the rider
should keep his hold upon the reins, at least until
he is assured that he is free of the stirrups. It is
better to run the risk of being stepped upon by
the horse than to be dragged by the stirrup, and
the rider should never part from his horse if it
can be avoided.

CHAPTER IX.

VICES, TRICKS, AND FAULTS.

I HAVE been training horses for many years,
and I have failed to observe in them any
traits of character which might be designated
as noble, or which showed anything above a
very low order of intelligence. The horse is
so nervous and apprehensive that it never com-
pletely gives its confidence to man, and it
exhibits more of the reasoning powers in its
defences and resistances than in the direction of
obedience. Fortunately the horse is a creature
of one idea, and until we can obtain control
over it by discipline, it is possible to thwart its
malevolent intentions by a counter-attack. I
am far from saying that all horses are naturally
vicious ; but I do say that the horse does not
voluntarily obey the demands of its master, and
that he who depends upon its willing obedience
is in a precarious position, unless it be from
a heartless drudge that has lost all visions of

126 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

freedom. Restraint and control must be irk-
some to all animals, and it is natural that the
high-spirited horse should attempt to escape
restraint and control. It is in the injudicious
endeavors to combat these efforts of the horse
to avoid the tyranny of man that the vices,
tricks, and faults of the animal have their
origin. If in its early mutiny the horse is
foiled, it will soon forbear ; but one success
will be remembered through scores of defeats.
When discipline has become a second nature
to the horse, the man can depend upon its
obedience, until by accident or carelessness
the animal is shown by what a slender chain
it has been enslaved. It is far more difficult
to restore discipline with these spoiled horses
than to establish it from the first in the
unbroken colt ; but it is not impossible.

It is when it is in that state of nervous
irritability known as "freshness," from want
of work, that most of the disorderly conduct
of the horse has its beginning. A horse that
is "fresh" should be treated with great care;
and if it gives a few plunges when first mounted,
or is shy of objects with which it should be

Vices i Tricks, and Faults. 127

perfectly familiar, the rider should not punish
it, but should rather take little notice of its
misconduct, and push it forward in a brisk
trot until it becomes more composed. He may
turn its head away from that about which it
shows fear, and in this manner he can make
it pass anything. A shy horse should never
be made to face the object that affrights it,
until it has lost its fear.

Should the animal begin to misconduct itself
while the man is mounting, he should have
it led forward and vault into the saddle while
the horse is in motion, or have a leg up from
the attendant who leads it. When the horse
is calmed by exercise, he should bring it to a
halt, and mount and dismount until he assures
himself that the horse will stand quietly for
such purposes. Should the horse have the
habit of being restless while being mounted,
the man should make it extend itself by
placing the fore feet far in advance of their
normal position when the animal is at rest, and
by then handling the horse, pulling upon
the stirrup-leathers, and bearing his weight
upon his arms placed on the saddle. Then,

128 Curb) Snaffle, and Spur.

letting the horse take its natural position, he
should quietly mount in the usual way, and
walk the animal off.

Should the horse turn its croup to one hand
or to the other, and leave the line of progress,
its head should be pulled over to the side
towards which the croup is bent ; this will
straighten the horse, and the desired direction
may then be taken.

Should the horse stop and wheel to the
rear, the rider should at once make it com-
plete the wheel, while its opposition is to
the other hand; and when the animal is straight
in the original direction, he should push it
forward in any pace that it will take, gaining
a composed and regular pace when he can.

Should the animal come to a halt, lower its
head, gather its legs under the body, and arch
its back, the rider should not attempt to force
it to move, for it will certainly bolt, and perhaps
" buck." By quietly moving either the forehand
or the croup to one side or to the other, he
can induce the horse to let down the back
and raise the head, when he will be able to
move the horse slowly forward.

Vices, Tricks, and faults. 129

Should the horse stand stiffly, with its legs
apart and its head extended upwards, and refuse
to move, the rider should not attempt to force
it forward. By waiting until he can bend the
head to the right or to the left, he can reduce
the rigidity of the animal, and then be able
to move it forward.

As I have said, a shy horse should have
its head turned away from the object which
frightens it, and be made to pass along in
a movement resembling that upon two paths.
The nearer it is brought to the object which
causes its terror the better; for if it be once
brought quite close to that which has seemed
dangerous, it will be taught that its fears were
groundless.

A horse which rears viciously can be cured
by a course of suppling. I have had for four
years a horse whose defence took this form,
and it had several times thrown itself back-
wards with its former owner; but, although I
have ridden it in the high-school movements,
in jumping and in le jeu de barre, it has never
offered, since it was put through a course of
suppling, to rise higher than I have demanded.

130 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

When a horse rears, the rider should close
his heels against its sides, and, as the forehand
comes down, take a bearing upon the snaffle-
reins, then push the animal forward, not vio-
lently,— for that would induce plunging, — but
firmly and quietly. If, when the horse rears,
the rider feels from the sinking of the croup
that the animal is about to fall over, he should
take his feet out of the stirrups, grasp the
mane, and throw himself away from the horse.
A rearing horse always gets behind the hand
before it rises, and this fact indicates a pre-
vention. But if the jaw is so suppled that
it yields to every touch of the bit, the animal
cannot rear; for the head would drop and
the mouth would open at a light tension upon
the reins.

If a " bolter " has intelligence enough to
receive discipline, the vice may be cured by
teaching the animal to come to a halt at the
application of the spurs. Alidor bolted in his
early lessons ; but after he had been schooled,
he never attempted to escape control. If a
horse bolts through nervousness, there is no
cure of which I have any knowledge, and I
know of no bit which will check the animal.

Vices, Tricks, and Faults. 1 3 1

It is difficult to break a plunging horse of
its vice, because it is hard to get control over
the animal while it is plunging. When a horse
plunges it should have its head held up, and it
should be pushed forward until it takes some
regular pace. If it plunges from high spirits
only, it will probably drop the trick when it
has been carefully ridden ; but if plunging be-
come an established vice, it cannot be guarded
against. As an experiment, I took a horse
with this vice confirmed, and taught it to
plunge as a movement, thinking that the animal
would not voluntarily perform that which had
become a labor. I was mistaken ; the horse
continued to plunge when it was fresh, and I
could never depend upon its steadiness. This
horse had the " buck's eye," of which I have
spoken, and was usually very foolish.

When a horse refuses to leave its company,
or to go in a certain direction, or is otherwise
restive, it should be turned about several times
by drawing the rein which finds the least
resistance, and by pressing in the heel of the
same side. This " rolling-up" of the animal
confuses it, and makes it forget its intention,
and the rider may then direct it where he

132 Curb, Snaffle, and Spur.

pleases. It is the custom in most European
cavalry regiments for every man, in troop or
in squadron drill, to ride his horse out singly
from the ranks, and to return slowly to his
place. In many cases this could not be accom-
plished without this " rolling-up," as the horses
are usually loath to leave their companions.
I know some regiments where this movement
is not employed, and in which there are not
ten horses in a hundred which will singly
leave the barrack-yard, even with . the riding-
master's whip behind them.

If the horse tries to rub the leg of the rider
against a wall or other obstacle, the head of
the animal should be pulled into the obstacle,
when the design of the animal will be frustrated.

I have no advice to give to the rider who
finds his horse " running away," beyond that
of sticking to the animal, and of taking inter-
mittent pulls upon its mouth until he finds
the pace decreasing, when he may be able to
bring it to halt, or to a desired rate of speed.

THE END.

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