The Barb and the Bridle: A Handbook of Equitation for Ladies, and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the Preparatory Suppling ExercisesHenderson, Robert, active 1866-1874
Science
The Barb and the Bridle: A Handbook of Equitation for Ladies, and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the Preparatory Suppling Exercises
Henderson, Robert, active 1866-1874
Horsemanship
Starting from a point close to the boards, a couple of horses' lengths
in front of the pupil, the master should make an incline to the right,
at an angle of about forty-five, until he is half-way between the boards
and the centre of the school; he should then bring up his left shoulder,
and make another incline at the same angle to the centre of the school.
Down the centre he should walk straight, the distance of a horse's
length; again bring up his left shoulder, and make two inclines to the
side. The figure he will thus describe does not quite represent a circle
as he walks; but when the horse is called upon to move his fore and hind
legs on the same track, it will be a circle in his case as nearly as
possible. Having caused the pupil to move her horse forward, the
instructor should give her the aids for circling, which are a double
feeling of the inward rein, the horse well supported with the outward,
and well kept up to the hand by the leg.
In circling to the right, the horse to be well bent to the right, so
that the rider can see his inward eye; fore and hind legs moving exactly
on the same track, the horse not throwing his haunches out. The great
use of this circling is, that as the horse changes his direction no less
than six times in a small space, to keep him up to his work the lady
must bring up her left shoulder as many times as the horse alters his
direction. To do this, she must be quite supple in the waist, and
circling is therefore a capital practice to insure this freedom of
action at that portion of the figure. To render the lesson still more
easy to the pupil, I have found it answer well, after walking over the
ground, to mark it out on the tan with a stick. In military schools the
circle to the right or left is followed by the "circle and change," in
which, when arrived at the boards, the pupil, instead of turning the
horse's head to the hand he is working to, changes the bend, and turns
to the reverse hand. This, however, cannot be executed at a canter with
due precision without the use of the right leg, and is therefore (in my
opinion) better omitted in a lady's course of equitation, an additional
reason being that, when she is taught to make the change at a canter,
she can do it much more effectually and elegantly by the "half passage."
The circles having been neatly done, the pupil should rein her horse
back, put him well upon his haunches, and strike him off at a collected
canter, about five miles an hour, the cadence true, the position of the
rider correct.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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