The general art of riding, sometimes called manège riding, to
distinguish it from its modifications in road-riding, hunting, racing,
&c., teaches us to place every part of the body so that it can act
upon the horse in every emergency, shows the effect of all the aids
or modes of guiding him, and enables us to render him obedient to the
slightest touch. By never suffering the ascendancy to be transferred
to the horse, by in general preventing him from making all his speed,
and by exhausting him the sooner the more he exerts himself without
permission, it bestows upon the rider perfect security.
An intimate knowledge of this method is necessary even to our
abandoning it when convenient, to our adopting the styles, afterwards
to be described, for more extended and rapid paces, or for long
continued riding, to our suffering the horse to take more or less
of ascendancy, and to our, when necessary, easily recovering that
superiority of the hand, of which those who are ignorant of this
fundamental method are less capable.
The recent practice has been to carry the foot rather more forward
than is represented in our Plates, approaching in this respect, to the
ancient position, as seen in the Elgin marbles, &c.
A Parisian bit, which is attached to the mouth of the horse, without
a headstall, has been lately used. It is, however, applicable only
to _horses_, on account of its being retained in the mouth by means
of the side tusks, which _mares_ do not possess. It is composed of
a semicircular bar of iron, which goes under the chin, to which its
concavity applies; while a short bar, firmly attached to one of its
ends, passes nearly half-way through the mouth. Through the other end
of the semicircle is a hole, into which, when the bit is on, must be
screwed a bolt, similar to the one just described. These two bolts, it
is easily understood, pass behind the tusks, and nearly meet in the
centre of the mouth.[64]
[64] THE SADDLE (_Fig. 1_).--_a_, pommel; _b_, cantle; _c_, panel;
_d_, flaps; _e_, stirrup leather; _f_, girths.
BRIDLES (_Fig. 2_)--_a_, _b_, headstall with the cheekstraps; _c_,
do. of the curb; _d_, do. of the bridoon or snaffle passing through
it over the poll; _e_, nosetrap (seldom found in any but military
bridles), _f_, throatlash. _Fig. 3._ A twisted snaffle-bit. _Fig.
4._ A plain snaffle-bit. _Fig. 5._ A Weymouth curb, with chain and
chainstrap (_a_) attached. _Fig. 6._ A common curb-bit, with the
upset in the mouthpiece.