If the horse do not readily obey the hand in turning, or bring forward his croup sufficiently, he must be urged to throw himself more on the bit, by an animation of the leg or whip. The animations, during the first lessons, should be commenced with great gentleness, and the rider will easily discover, by a little experience, to what degree it is necessary to increase them, in order to procure obedience. This observation should be attended to, were it only for the pupil’s safety; for, if she begin with her animations above the horse’s spirit, his courage will be so raised as to endanger, or, at least, alarm her, and thus render what would otherwise be an agreeable exercise, unpleasant.
After the pupil has practised walking in a straight line, and turning on either side, for a few days, she may walk in a circle, and soon make her horse wheel, change, demi-volt, &c. The circle should be large at first; but when the pupil has acquired her proper equilibrium, &c., it must, day by day, be gradually contracted.
In riding round a circle, the inner rein should be rather lowered, and the body inclined inward. This inclination must be increased during succeeding lessons, as the circle is contracted, and the pupil quickens the pace of her horse. She must practise in the large circle, until she is able, by her hands and aids, to make the horse perform it correctly. The inside rein must be delicately acted upon; if it be jerked, at distant intervals, or borne upon, without intermission, the horse, in the former case, will swerve in and out, and, in the latter, the rider’s hand, and the animal’s mouth, will both become, in some degree, deadened; and thus their correspondence will be decreased. In order to procure correct action, the inner rein should be alternately borne on in a very slight degree, and relaxed the next instant,—the hand keeping exact time in its operations with the cadence of the horse’s feet. The direction is to be frequently changed; the pupil alternately working to the right and the left, so as to bring both her hands into practice.
As soon as the rider becomes tolerably well confirmed in her seat and balance, and in the performance of the simple aids and animations, as well in large as small circles, she should begin to ride in double circles; at first of considerable diameter, but decreasing them, by degrees, as she improves. Riding in double circles, is guiding the horse to perform a figure of 8; and this, in the language of the riding-school, is effecting the large and narrow change, according to the size of the circles. The number of the circles may be increased, and the sizes varied, with great advantage both to the rider and the horse. They may be at some distance from each other, and the horse be guided to work from one to the other diagonally. Thus, suppose he starts from a, he may be made to leave the upper circle at e, and enter the lower one at d; leave it at c, and enter the first again at b; and so continue for some time: then, beginning at f, to quit the lower circle at c, enter the upper one at b, leave it at e, and enter the lower circle again at d. Thus, the position of the rider and horse are alternately changed, from working from the right to a straight line, thence to the left, thence to a straight line, and thence again to the right. To give an instance of riding in a greater number of circles, of different diameters, let the horse start from a (see figure, p. 77), and leave the upper circle at b, traversing to the outer small circle at c, passing round, so as to enter the inner circle at e, and going round, by f, to g; quitting it at g, and entering the lower circle at h; quitting the latter again, after passing round i, at k, and thence proceeding towards the outer small circle; entering at l, going round and entering the inner circle at e, passing round, and quitting it at f, to return again to a, by entering the upper circle at m. These exercises may be diversified in various ways; the pupil, for instance, may perform the upper circle, and one or both of the pair below, return to the upper circle, cross from that, diagonally, to the lower circle, quit it, at h or k, to perform one of the middle circles, return to the lower circle again, pass thence to the other middle circle, and quit it at c or f (as the case may happen), to return to the upper circle again. Nothing can be more beneficial than this variety of action; it tends at once to confirm the pupil in her seat; to exercise her in her balance and aids; and to render the horse obedient: while, if he be kept in only one direction, he will perform the figure mechanically, without either improving his own mouth and action, or the rider’s hands, aids, or balance.
In the art of riding, working on a circle is called a volt; in angles, or a zig-zag direction, changes reverse; and on half a circle from a line, a demi-volt. These figures may first be performed separately; but there can be no objection to the demi-volt and changes reverse being afterwards embodied in the exercises on circles. As in the last figure, the lady may work from a in the mode directed, for some time; then perform the variations, by going across from a to b, and describe a demi-volt round by c e to a; then return from a to b, and work a demi-volt, in an opposite direction, from b to a: thence, the lady may proceed in a line, enter the lower circle at d, and re-commence riding in circles. The change reverse may at any time be performed, by quitting the upper circle at e or f, and working on the traversing lines, so as to cross the lower circle at g or h, and enter it at i or k. In fact, these exercises may be varied, ad libitum; and the more they are diversified, the greater advantage the lady will derive from them, provided she persevere until she can perform one figure with accuracy, before she enter upon another that is more complicated. Should the horse, in changing, yield his head, but withhold his croup so as to destroy the union of his action, or mar the perfection of the change, the rider should bring it to the proper position, or sequence, by an aid of the whip or leg, as the case may be.