THE HAND GALLOP.—THE FLYING GALLOP.
"Now we're off like the winds to the plains whence they came;
And the rapture of motion is thrilling my frame!
On, on speeds my courser, scarce printing the sod,
Scarce crushing a daisy to mark where he trod!
On, on like a deer, when the hound's early bay
Awakes the wild echoes, away, and away!
Still faster, still farther, he leaps at my cheer,
Till the rush of the startled air whirs in my ear!
Now 'long a clear rivulet lieth his track,—
See his glancing hoofs tossing the white pebbles back!
Now a glen dark as midnight—what matter?—we'll down
Though shadows are round us, and rocks o'er us frown;
The thick branches shake as we're hurrying through,
And deck us with spangles of silvery dew!"
Grace Greenwood.
The hand gallop is an intermediate gait between the canter and the flying gallop. Its motion, though rather rapid, is smooth, easy, and very agreeable for both rider and steed. Nearly all horses, especially spirited ones, prefer this movement to any other; the bronchos on the plains of the far West will keep up this long, easy lope or hand gallop for miles, without changing their gait, or requiring their riders to draw rein, and without any apparent fatigue. This pace is likewise a favorite one with riding parties, as the motion is so smooth that conversation can be kept up without difficulty. If the animal's movements are light, supple, and elegant, the lady rider presents a very graceful appearance when riding this gait, as the reactions in it are very mild; it is the gait par excellence, for a country ride.
On a breezy summer morning, there is nothing more exhilarating than a ride at a hand gallop, on a willing, spirited horse; it brightens the spirits, braces the nerves, refreshes the brain, and enables one to realize that "life is worth living."
"I tell thee, O stranger, that unto me
The plunge of a fiery steed
Is a noble thought,—to the brave and free
It is music, and breath, and majesty,—
'Tis the life of a noble deed;
And the heart and the mind are in spirit allied
In the charm of a morning's glorious ride."
Let all gloomy, dyspeptic invalids try the cheering effects of a hand gallop, that they may catch a glimpse of the sunlight that is always behind even the darkest cloud of despondency.
When the horse is advancing in a collected canter, if the rider will animate him a little more by gentle taps with the whip, and then as he springs forward give him more liberty of the curb-rein, he will enter upon a hand gallop. In this gait he will lead either with the left or the right foot, but the oblique position of his body will be very slight. The management of the reins, the turns to the right or to the left, the stop, and the position of the rider's body, must, in this gait be the same as in the canter, except that the body need not be quite so erect, and the touch upon the reins must be very light, barely appreciable.
If riding a spirited horse, the lady must be upon her guard, lest he increase his speed and enter into a flying or racing gallop. Any horse is liable to do this when he has not been properly exercised, especially if he is with other horses, when a spirit of rivalry is aroused, and he sometimes becomes almost unmanageable from excitement. Many livery-stable horses, although quiet enough in the city, will, when ridden upon country roads, especially in the spring, require all the skill of their riders to keep them under control. The change from the stone and brick of the city or town to the odor of the fresh grass and the sight of green fields has an exhilarating effect upon them, and makes them almost delirious with gladness, so that they act like anything but sensible, quiet, well-worked horses.
When her horse manifests any such disposition, the rider must retain her presence of mind, and not permit any nervousness or excitement on her part to increase that of her horse. She must keep him well under the control of the curb-bit, and not allow him to increase his speed; when he endeavors to do so, she must sit erect, and every time his fore-feet touch the ground she must tighten the curb-reins, by drawing them gradually but firmly toward her waist. She will thus check the animal's desire to increase his speed, by compelling him to rest upon her hand at short intervals until he can be brought under command and again made obedient. Care must be taken not to make this strong pull upon the animal's mouth constant, as this will be more apt to increase than to lessen his speed, and will also prevent her from turning him readily should she encounter any object upon the road.