All those motions of the body, the hand, the leg, and the whip, which
either indicate the rider's wishes, or in some degree assist the horse
to perform them, are, in the art of riding denominated 'aids;' in their
execution, a perfect combination, and the greatest uniformity,
exactness, and delicacy are required.
_The indications of the hand_ are of two sorts, guiding and retaining,
those of the leg and whip, are also of two sorts, guiding and urging.
The aids serve to put the horse in movement, to direct, and to stop him;
they should not only decide the pace which the horse is to take, but
also signify to him, the rate at which each pace is to be executed, and
also determine his carriage during the performance of it. The power of
these aids, and the degree of severity to be used, must be governed by
circumstances, and the sensibility of the horse.
_The hand_, being placed holding the reins, as previously described, and
the reins being drawn to that determined length, that the bracing of the
muscles of the hand would rein the horse back, and the easing of them
permit him to advance freely; if the hand be held steady, as the horse
advances in a trot, the fingers will feel by the tightening and
loosening of the reins, a slight sensation or tug, occasioned by the
measure or cadence of every step, this sensation or tug, which is
reciprocally felt in the horse's mouth, by means of the correspondence
between the hand and the mouth, is called the appui; and while this
appui is preserved, the horse is in perfect obedience to the rider, the
hand directing him with the greatest ease, so that the horse seems to
work by the will of the rider, rather than by the compulsion of the
hand.
When a horse is ridden on a snaffle, he only feels the direct pull more
or less of the rider's hand, with a curb-bit in his mouth the effect is
different, and more powerful, on account of the lever which tightens the
curb-chain on the horse's jaw. A curb in a rough and uneven hand,
becomes an instrument of extreme torture; the hand should always be
firm, but delicate, the horse's mouth should never be surprised, by any
sudden transition of the bearing from tight to slack, or from slack to
tight, every thing in horsemanship should be effected by degrees.
The rider should never rest her hand upon the pommel, as by doing so,
she at once destroys the sympathy which ought to exist between the hand
and the horse's mouth.
_Fineness of mouth_, means a mouth that is perfectly trained, and
responds to the determined action of a sensitive hand. The acquirement
of the bearing upon the horse's mouth, the turning the horse upon the
proper rein, the power of collecting the horse, and retaining him on his
proper balance, smoothness of indications, in the shortening of the
reins, and the working together of the hand, leg, and whip, are the
unseen, and unappreciated foundation, upon which good riding stands;
these, and not strength, nor violence commands the animal, with these,
the horse will rely on the hand, comply to it, and without force on the
rider's part, he will bend to the hand in every articulation. Without
these, however unintentional on the rider's part, she will be
perpetually subjecting him to the severest torture, to defend himself
against which, he will resist the hand, poke his nose, stiffen his neck,
and every other part of his body; for the horse can endure no greater
torture, than that resulting from an uneven hand.
_The Leg and Whip._--The leg should hang straight from the knee, easy
and steady, and be near to the horse's sides; the pressure being
increased as occasion required, but the size and substance of the flap
of the saddle, in numerous cases, renders the pressure of the leg
nugatory, therefore, as the whip is the chief additional aid a lady has
to depend upon, its exact management ought to be reduced to a perfect
science. Every movement and touch of the whip must be made for purpose
and effect; it can be used on both sides of the horse, as the case may
require; the lady will have no difficulty in using it, on the right, or
off side of the horse: but to use the whip on the near side requires
caution and address.
To strike the near forehand; the lady should raise the whip gently to an
upright position, holding it with a firm grasp, she should then let the
whip suddenly descend along the shoulder, and instantly remove it: she
should be careful not to strike the horse on any part of the head except
in cases of vice. To strike the near hind quarters, the lady must pass
her right hand gently behind her waist, as far as the arm will reach,
without distorting the body; and holding the whip between the two first
fingers and thumb, strike the horse. This position is most excellent
practice, by compelling the pupil to draw in her waist to its proper
place: and until a lady can perform it easily, without disturbing the
position and action of her bridle hand, she will fail in attaining a
graceful and elegant carriage. The whip on the one side, pressed to the
horse's side, corresponds with the leg on the other, but except in
moving straight-forward, they should not be applied opposite to each
other; that the pressure of one, may not counteract the effect of the
other; thus the one intended to communicate a forward impulse, should be
applied further forward, to keep the horse up to hand, than that, which
communicates an impulse to the horse to step side ways, which should be
applied behind the girth.
The rider must always bear in mind, that every movement of the bridle,
the leg, and of the whip, is felt, and responded to, by the
sensitiveness of the horse; when she errs, the horse goes wrong, it is
therefore indispensable that they should act in conjunction.