THE TROTTING LESSON (_continued_).
I come now to the final section of the trotting lesson--that which,
thoroughly acquired, I may term the thorough base of the matter. Having
satisfied himself that his pupil has command of her horse, steady seat
and hands, and true balance when riding equally on the snaffle and curb,
the master should proceed to instruct her as to the mode of arranging
the reins so as to ride on the curb alone.
As this has been already described, it is needless to repeat the
formula. I may observe, however, that, in order to give increased
facility of action to the bridle hand, and avoid anything like sudden
jerk or rough pull upon the horse's mouth, it is best for the lady to
retain the end of the curb reins between the fore finger and thumb of
her right hand, by doing which she is enabled, keeping her left hand
perfectly steady, and opening and closing the fingers, to give easy play
to the reins. Without this she would find riding on the curb alone
difficult at first with the left hand only, because all the motion must
come from the wrist, and considerable practice is necessary to
accommodate this motion exactly to the action of the horse. Care should
be taken that the elbows are kept well back, so as to preserve the
suppleness of the waist, and by this time also the pupil ought to have
acquired sufficient steadiness in the saddle to admit of her giving easy
play to the upper part of the arm at the shoulder joint. But until
complete firmness of seat is gained this should not be attempted,
because in the case of a novice it disconnects the figure, and
interferes with the horse's mouth materially. The most rigid attention
also should be given to the pupil's general position, and the firmness
and correct placing of both legs--the heels well down, the upper part of
the body well drawn up from the waist, "the whole figure pliant and
accompanying every movement of the horse" (see "Military Aid Book").
The lady should commence the lesson by walking her horse two or three
times round the school; and it is here, by close attention, that she
will learn that light hands are neither "heaven-born" nor impossible to
acquire. On pressing the horse forward with her leg or whip, so as to
make him walk up against the curb, it is possible her hand may be a
little heavy, and that the horse may resist it. In this case, if not
cautions and carefully watched, she will let her hands go forward. It is
for the instructor to take special care of this, and point out to his
pupil how she can ease the reins through her left hand by the aid of the
right, so as to catch the true _appui_, without yielding altogether to
the horse. In other words, she should allow sufficient rein to go
through her hand to enable the horse to walk freely forward; and then,
closing her fingers again firmly, make him go up to every hair's breadth
of rein she has given him, and fairly against the curb. There should not
be a particle of slack rein. In fact, it may be received as a sound
principle in riding that there should never be slack reins, no matter
what the pace. If you give your horse the full length of the reins even,
make him go up to them.
When once the lady has gained the above-named _appui_ (the right hand
assisting the left), she should be instructed to halt her horse lightly
on his haunches preparatory to reining back. And again she should do
this by drawing the reins through the fingers of her left hand with the
right, keeping the former perfectly steady, and drawing her own figure
well up, in order to avoid any tendency to lean forward. On the word
"Rein back," which should be given in a very quiet tone of voice, and in
the exact cadence in which the master desires his pupil to move her
horse to the rear, the lady should feel both reins lightly but firmly
for a moment, closing at the same instant her leg so as to keep her
horse's haunches under him, in the manner before described when using
the snaffle only, but in the present case with greater care and
precision. _Lightly_ and _firmly_ feeling the curb reins while pressed
by the leg, the horse will take a step back. The reins should be yielded
the instant he does so. Two or three steps back are sufficient, when the
word "Forward" should be given, preceded by the caution to close the
fingers firmly on the reins, and, with whip and leg, keep the horse well
up to his work. Feeling this amount of constraint laid upon him, the
horse will be inclined at any moment to canter. But here the tact of the
master should be exhibited in instructing his pupil to release the horse
from his fore-shortened position, by allowing about six inches of rein
(or more, if necessary), to pass through her left hand as she presses
the horse forward into a free trot (about eight miles an hour). All her
firmness of seat will be necessary now, because any irregular action on
her part will cause her hand to become heavy, and make the horse canter.
The great thing is, not to continue trotting on the curb-rein alone too
long. Short lessons often repeated, and intervals in which to correct
everything are best for pupil and instructor.
When the lady can accomplish trotting out for twenty minutes without
allowing her horse to break, she should then be instructed to collect
him to a slower pace, bringing him more upon his haunches, and with his
forehand more up. This requires the nicest tact and discrimination on
the part of the rider, perfect steadiness in the saddle, and firm
pressure of the left leg; while the reins should be drawn through the
left hand with as much care as though the lady feared to break them. The
shortened pace should be smart and active, and the horse so collected as
to be ready to turn to the right, or left, or about, or make the
inclines at any moment. All these exercises should then be practised in
the same order as when the pupil rode, assisted by or on the snaffle
only.
After the lady has performed these to the satisfaction of the master,
she should bring her horse to the walk and be instructed to carry the
end of the curb reins, which she has held hitherto in her right hand,
through the full of the left hand, and place both reins (the off-side
one uppermost) over the middle joint of the fore finger, and close the
thumb firmly on them. The end of the reins should be dropped to the
off-side of the horse, and hang down outside the off-side crutch; the
whip (with the point _downwards_) kept quiet. Raising the point of the
whip, when a lady is trotting a horse on the curb alone, and unassisted
by her right hand, is very apt to make him break, because the point of
the whip is always in motion, and causes the horse to turn his eye back
at it.
The instructor should now carefully place the lady's bridle hand, with
the wrist rounded outwards and the thumb pointing square across the
body, the back of the hand towards the horse's head, and the little
finger turned upwards and inwards towards the waist, the arm perfectly
firm, and the wrist quite supple--as in this case it is from the wrist
only that every indication to turn, to halt, or rein back is given,
aided by the whip on the off side and the leg on the near side. The
pupil can then be taught to turn her horse to either hand, or about, at
a walk, without any motion of the bridle hand perceptible to a
looker-on, although perceptible enough to the horse. In turning to the
right, the little finger should be turned down towards the left
shoulder, and the back of the hand turned up. This movement will shorten
the right rein, and cause it to act on the right jaw of the bit. The
whip should be closed firmly (not with a blow) just behind the flap of
the saddle on the off side. The left leg supporting this will cause the
horse to turn square to his right. Exactly the reverse movement will
turn him to the left. Right or left about, aids continued, until the
horse has reversed his front.
The trotting lesson may then be gone through again, the pupil riding
entirely with the left hand. But in beginning these lessons care should
be taken to let them be very short, because, in spite of all previous
supplying, considerable constraint is thrown upon the wrist at first.
Any yielding to the horse is accomplished by turning the little finger
towards his neck, while to collect him simply the little finger is
turned up again towards the waist. But the fingers and thumb of the
bridle hand must be kept firmly shut upon the reins, otherwise the hand
becomes heavy and uneven in its action.
By lessons, gradually increased in length, the pupil should be
accustomed thus to ride her horse throughout the trotting lesson, and
trot him out, riding with one hand. It is not usual for ladies to
continue for any length of time riding in this form; but it is highly
necessary that they should be thoroughly well practised at it, otherwise
an important part of their course of equitation will be neglected. The
same may be said of the bending lesson, previous to cantering. It is
rarely put in practice by any but professional female equestrians. But a
lady ought to be thoroughly acquainted with its formula, because it
teaches the principle upon which a horse acquires his _souplesse_, which
is just as necessary to his freedom of action and pleasant riding as the
early suppling lessons of the pupil herself were conducive to her own
progress.