On Mounting Your Horse.
FIRST we will suppose your horse properly saddled and bridled. Take your Bridoun-rein (if you have Bit and Bridoun) your right-hand, shifting it till you have found the center of the rein; then with your switch or whip in your left-hand, place your little finger between the reins, so that the right rein lies flat in your hand upon three fingers, and your thumb pressing your left rein flat upon the right, keeping your thumb both upon right and left rein, firm upon your fore-finger; and in this position you ease your hand a little and slide it firmly down the reins upon your horse’s neck, taking a firm hold of a lock of his mane, which will assist you in springing to mount: remember that when you attempt to mount, that your reins are not so tight as to check your horse, or to offend his mouth, so as to cause him to rear, or rein back, but that your action is smooth and light as possible.
Your horse being firmly stayed, you next take your Stirrup-leather in your Right-hand, about four inches from the stirrup-iron, and fix one third of your foot in the stirrup, standing square with your horse’s side; next take a firm hold with your right hand on the Cantlet or back part of the saddle, rather on the off side of it, and with your left knee prest firm against the horse’s side, spring yourself up perpendicularly, bending the small of your back and looking chearfully up rather than down. The next move you make is to remove your right-hand from the Cantlet and place it firm upon the Pummel, or front of your saddle, bearing your weight upon it, at the same time bend your right knee, and bring your body round, looking strait over your horse’s head, letting yourself firmly and easily down into your seat, with the shoulders easily back, bent well in your waist or loins, and your chest well presented in front, with a pleasant uncontracted countenance.
You of course next recover or take your switch, which is done by putting your right-hand over your left, and with a quick firm motion take it in your right hand, holding the same perpendicularly.
Proceed us next to the adjusting the Reins, which is of the utmost use. Supposing you ride with Bit and Bridoun, being four in number, place them all even and flat in your left hand, exactly in the same manner as described in taking the Bridoun in mounting; that is to say, your four reins placed even, the one upon the other, remembering always to place your Bridouns on the outsides, so that you may any time lengthen or shorten them at pleasure, without putting the whole into confusion, and cause the Bit to act alone, or Bridoun alone, or both Bit and Bridoun to act together.
I have observed before that only your little finger should be between the reins when only two, it is the same now four, so now your two reins on the right side of your horse’s neck lie flat upon your three fingers in your left-hand, your two left reins placed flat upon the right, and your thumb pressed flat upon all four. This is the only sure method to keep your reins firm, free from confusion, and to cause them to act properly; which any lady or gentleman will be convinced of if they will only give themselves the pleasure to practise, as I cannot call it a trouble.
If it should be demanded why the horse would not ride as well with only the Bridoun, without the Bit? my answer is that suppose your horse becomes hard and heavy in hand, on being rode by both Bit and Bridoun, where they have both acted together: you on this shorten your Bit-reins whereby they act alone the Bridouns becoming slack, your horse instantly becomes light in hand, as though touched by a magick stick, reining his neck properly, is immediately light before, gathers himself upon his haunches, and what appeared, but now a garronly sluggish beast wears the appearance of a well dressed horse.
Well and thorough broke horses with mouths made fine and to answer the nicest touch of feeling, are in general rode by the Bit alone, the Bridouns hanging loose and seem more for ornament than use; but yet in the hand of a skillful horseman are of the greatest utility; for by handling your right Bridoun-rein lightly with your whip hand at proper times; you can always raise your horse’s head if too low, you may take the liberty of easing your Bit-reins at times, so that playing upon his mouth, as it were an Instrument of musick, you will always keep his mouth in tune. I cannot find a juster simile than, that the Horse is the Instrument and the Rider the Player; and when the horse is well broke and tuned properly, and the rider knows how to keep him in that state, he is never at a loss to play upon him; but if suffered to go out of tune, by the want of skill in the horseman, and to imbibe bad habits, the horseman not being able to screw him up, and tune him as before: the Instrument is thrown by as useless, or may be sold for a trifle, and by chance falling into able hands, that know how to manage and put him once more together; he again becomes as good as ever: and this I have often been a witness to. Thus much for the adjustment of the Reins in the Hand.