The “rider” having to hold his pistol can use only one hand to his horse and being accustomed all his life to guide his horse by pulling at the reins cannot guide the horse properly with only his left hand.
As the horse comes up to the target he turns his head towards it and his quarters away from it and begins to sidle away, walking all crooked, the rider kicks his heels into him to try and get him up to the target and when he puts out his arm to aim the horse sidles away still more and whips round away from the target spoiling the shot.
After the “rider” has fired he needs both hands to turn the horse and bring it back, and, having the pistol as well as a rein in his right hand, fires one or two more shots, unintentionally.
The “horseman” squeezes his horse by pressure of the calves into his bridle, his horse like the former horse seeing the target tries to turn his head towards it and to sidle away from it.
The “horseman” merely moves his left hand slightly to the left, causing his right rein to press against his horse’s neck and thereby turns the horse’s fore part straight again; at the same time he puts his left calf back along the horse’s side and this puts his hind quarters straight into place. If the horse tries to resist, the left spur touches him and he gives in.
When the shot is fired the horse is wheeled round to the left by the pressure of the left hand and right calf whilst at the same time the right thumb slips on the safety of the automatic pistol.
If the reader is not a “horseman” and wants to learn pistol shooting from horseback, he and his horse should go through the cavalry course first.
Even when a horse is standing still, he is breathing, so it is difficult to make good shooting with deliberate aim off horseback.
All shooting has to be done with swing and snap shooting. Care must be taken not to shoot too close past a horse’s ears; it may be advisable to put on a hood with closed ear covers, so that he does not get the full noise into his ears.
There is not much to teach as to the actual shooting, it is almost entirely horsemanship, finding out which angle suits you best to shoot from, at what speed the horse moves smoothest, etc.