instant I gently feel the off snaffle rein in a backward direction, but not to one side, which would have the effect of turning his head. The near hind foot, which is in the air, places itself firmly down on the ground behind the off hind, at the moment when the off snaffle rein makes the off shoulder go back. I then close my right heel. At the instant the horse obeys the indication I give him — namely, when he raises his off hind, as if to take a step to one side — I utilise this moment to give a backward pull on the near snaffle rein, the off hind being of necessity placed in rear of the near hind at the instant the near snaffle rein brings the left shoulder back.

Having obtained two steps of the rein back, I am content, and I hasten to pat the horse on the neck to show him that he has done well.

When the horse has often done two steps, and then four, he will be able to rein back easily.

I do not use spurs at the beginning of the rein-back, so as to avoid exciting the animal unless he is very sluggish and does not answer readily to the legs.

I have just shown the way to proceed at the beginning, when teaching a horse to rein back. But we must not conclude that we should always continue the same effects of the legs separately. That would, in fact, make the horse sway his body from right to left, which would be wrong, because, when he reins back, he should always remain as straight as he does when he goes forward. When the horse understands the movement, and when he can easily take his first steps backwards, we should use both reins and both legs. The rein-back will then be correct ; and if the haunches have a tendency to deviate out of the straight line, we can easily straighten them by pressing a little more strongly with the leg of the side towards which the croup deviates, than with the other leg.