Walker's manly exercises: Containing rowing, sailing, riding, driving, racing, hunting, shooting, and other manly sportsWalker, Donald
Science
Walker's manly exercises: Containing rowing, sailing, riding, driving, racing, hunting, shooting, and other manly sports
Walker, Donald
Athletics; Sports
To give more animation, and encourage the horse to put his foot out
freely, the rider must support his fore hand up, and his haunches
under, by a touch of the fingers, the excitement of the tongue, the
switch of the whip, or the application of the legs, varied so as not to
lose their effect. If the action be not sufficiently united, that also
must be corrected.
To unite the horse, the reins must be collected, and the head raised.
By bringing his haunches under him, he may be pressed up to the bridle
by the aid of the legs; care being taken that this is not done hastily
or violently. He must not, however, be confined in the hand, in
expectation of raising him, and fixing his head in a proper place, as
by this means his bars and mouth would soon grow callous.
The most certain sign of a horse’s trotting well is, that when, in his
trot, the rider presses him a little, he offers to gallop. If the horse
gallop when he ought not, the waist should be pushed forwards toward
the pommel of the saddle, and a bend or hollow at the same time be made
in the loins.
_Turns, Stops, &c. in the Trot._
As to turns, seeing that the operations directed to be performed at
the walk are to be practised in the trot, nothing further need be said
of them. As stops are required to coincide with cadences, it must be
observed, that the first part of the cadence in the trot is performed
by the two feet that lead; and that the conclusion of the cadence is
performed by the two feet that follow, and this should complete the
stop. The rider should occasionally alter the measure of the action, by
strengthening the hand, and at the same time keeping up a sufficient
degree of animation to prevent the horse from stopping. He may then
give him liberty, and proceed with the same spirit as before. He may
make a stop; and may even rein him back two or three steps; in both
cases keeping him so united and animated that the instant the hand
gives him liberty he advances as rapidly as before. (Plate XXXIX. fig
1.)
ROAD RIDING.
Road riding is here introduced, because the trot is its most
appropriate pace.
The difference between manège and road riding, consists chiefly in a
shorter seat and a shorter stirrup being used in the latter. A certain
freedom and ease are also admissible. These, however, must not exceed
propriety, lead to neglect of the horse, or risk security. The hand
should keep its situation and property, though the body be turned to
any extreme for the purpose of viewing or conversing; and the body must
not, by any freedom it takes, throw itself out of balance, or take
liberties when it cannot be done with safety.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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