To a masterly hand, firmness, gentleness, and lightness, are very
properly described as being essentially necessary.
Firmness of the hand does not, however, do more than correspond
exactly with the feeling in the horse’s mouth, unless the horse
attempts to get the ascendancy, to abandon that delicate correspondence
producing the appuy, and keeping him under the strictest obedience,
and to make a dull or insensible pull on the hand. To frustrate these
attempts, the hand is kept firm, and the fingers braced; and, should
the horse plant his head low to endure this, the fingers are moved, the
reins shaken, &c., to raise the head and divert him from his purpose;
or, if this be unavailing, the hand is yielded that the reins may
become slack, and a snatch is given in an upward direction, which will
not only make him raise his head, but will deter him from putting it
down again.
Gentleness of the hand relaxes a little of its firmness, and mitigates
the feeling between the hand and the horse’s mouth, without passing,
however, from one extreme to another. Lightness of the hand lessens
still more the feeling between the rider’s hand and the horse’s mouth,
and consists in a slight alternate feeling and easing of the bridle,
regulated by the motion of the horse; for, if the appuy were always in
the same degree, it would heat the mouth, dull the feeling, and render
the horse’s bars callous. The rider must also distinguish whether
the horse washes to disengage himself from restriction, or wants a
momentary liberty to cough, to move if cramped, to dislodge a fly, &c.
The curb, if used, requires always a light hand to manage it; and the
horse should never be put to do any thing in a curb at which he is not
perfectly ready. The curb is adapted for acting in a direct line only:
the snaffle should be used in all other cases. Still, as to all these
qualities, the transitions must be gradual. Were the rider, passing
over that degree of restraint which is derived from the easy or gentle
hand, to go at once from a firm to a slack one, he would deprive
his horse of the support he trusted to, and precipitate him on his
shoulders. On the contrary, were he to pass from the slack to the tight
rein all at once, he would give a violent shock to the horse’s mouth.
All the operations of the hand, then, should be firm, gentle, and
light; and in these, the fingers and wrist alone must act. Certain
liberties called descents of the hand, are also taken with well-bred
horses. These are made three different ways:--by advancing the arm a
little, but not the shoulder, still keeping the usual length of rein,
or by dropping the knuckles directly and at once upon the horse’s
neck;--by taking the reins in the right hand, about four fingers’
breadth above the left, and letting them slide through the left,
dropping the right hand at the same time upon the horse’s neck;--and by
taking the end of the reins in the right hand, quitting them entirely
with the left, and letting the end of them fall upon the horse’s neck.
These graceful freedoms must never be used but with great caution, when
the horse is quite together, and in hand; and the rider, by throwing
back his body, must counterbalance the weight of the horse upon his
haunches.
There are still minuter rules belonging to this head; for instance,
both snaffle reins being in one hand, and that in the first
position,--if we open the first and second fingers, we slacken the
right rein;--if we open the little finger, we slacken the left
rein;--if we shut the hand entirely, and immediately open it again, we
lessen the tension of both reins. By these methods, we may relieve and
freshen the two bars in which the feeling and appuy resides. So also in
the second descent of the hand. While the right hand holds the reins,
we may slide the left hand up and down these in that degree of appuy
which belongs to the easy and slack hand: during which the horse will
endeavour to preserve that mutual sensation between the mouth and the
hand, which makes him submit with pleasure to constraint. By this play
of the rein and movement of the bit to avoid pressure in one continued
way, the horse’s head is kept high, and his neck and crest are raised.