In turning the horse to the right and left, at a canter, his fore-hand must be raised with the leading rein, and the haunches pressed forward and under him: at the same time, the outward rein must assist to steady him, and a pressure of the calf of the outward leg keep the haunches from falling too much out. If he is turned suddenly with the inward rein only, without lifting the fore-hand, or applying the outward leg, he must turn on his shoulders, lose power to halt on his haunches, and being twisted round unprepared, will change to the outer leg.
In changing, the operation must be performed smoothly and evenly at the same instant; so that, at the finish of the cadence, the body, hands, thighs, and legs of the rider are reversed, for the horse to commence his next cadence with the contrary leg.
In stopping in the gallop, the rider must seize the time when the horse’s fore-feet are coming to the ground, which is the beginning of the cadence: and he must take care that the hind feet, coming up to their exact distance, and finishing the cadence, complete the stop: leaving the horse so balanced that he can readily set off again with the same rapidity as before. Besides seizing the exact time, a due degree of power must thus be exerted, conformably to the readiness, obedience, union, or rapidity of the action; for, should the power be deficient, the stop would not be properly effected; and if it be excessive, the horse will be overbalanced on his haunches, and compelled consequently to move his feet after the cadence is finished. Till horses are ready and obedient to the stop, it should not be attempted in violent and rapid gallops; nor even then if they are weak, or the rider heavy.—In these cases, the double arret is used.
The double arret is the stop completed in two cadences of the gallop, which is far less distressing both to man and horse. The body being gently thrown back, will not make the action instantaneously cease; but the obedience of the horse makes the effort which checks half his career in the first cadence; and, the body still being kept back, he completes it in the second. However, till practised and made obedient to the stop, he will not easily perform the double arret; for, in the first instance, he must be taught to stop by compulsion; and it is only when practice has brought him to obedience, that he readily stops at the easy throwing back of the body.
The half stop is a pause in the gallop, or the action suspended for half a second, and then resumed again. Here the body is thrown back less determinately, lest we should so overbalance the horse that he cannot readily set off again after the finish of the cadence, which no sooner occurs than the body is brought forward, to permit the action to go on. Thus the half stop is only a pause in the gallop, and it is mostly used to effect a change from the right leg to the left, or the opposite. The cadence of the stop should be no shorter than the readiness and obedience of the horse will admit; the half stop not quite so short; and the two arrets still more moderate.
LEAPING.
The moveable bar for leaping should be ten feet in length, which will admit of two horses leaping abreast; at first from one to two feet high; and never very high.
As to the seat, it should be again observed that stirrups are no security in any situation on horseback; and those who cannot forbear pressing a weight on them, had better have none when learning to leap. An accurate balance must prevent all disturbance of the seat; for the slightest, whether the rider is thrown up from the saddle, or his body falls forward, or he gets out of balance, is as disgraceful as falling to the ground. He should sit so close as to carry a shilling under each thigh just above the knee, one in each stirrup under the toe, and one under his breech.
When any action of the horse tends to lift the rider from the saddle, stirrups cannot keep him down. Bearing on the stirrup, indeed, must lift the rider from the saddle, and would even loosen any hold he might take with the thighs or legs. Nothing but the weight of the body can press to the saddle. When the action is violent, however, the pressure of the thighs may be employed to hold it down; and, when the hold of the thighs is not sufficient, the legs may take a deeper, and stronger hold. Leaps are taken standing or flying; the first being most difficult to sit, though always practised first, because the slow and steady leaping of a properly managed horse gives the rider time and recollection, and the riding-master an opportunity to direct, and to prevent accidents.
Plate XLI