have not taught obedience to the whip, how can we straighten the hind quarters ?

HORSE MOUNTED—FIRST DEFENCES—MEANS FOR OVERCOMING THEM.

In the preceding chapter I have taken for granted that when I am mounted, the horse will go forward, if I want him to do so. As the animal will not always be obedient, it is well to be forearmed against any probable or even possible resistance which he may make. It is therefore necessary to keep the legs close to his sides, in order to avoid being taken off our guard by an abrupt movement, and, above all, to lean the body well back, so as to put the weight on our seat. We are then ready for anything that may happen.

If the horse tries to buck, we should press him forward with the legs and hold his head high. It is not hard to sit a forward plunge when the head is kept high.^[1] But the rider is easily displaced if the horse bucks without going forward, places his head between his fore legs, and arches his back. In this case, as the rider is not able to make the horse go forward, he should turn him to the right or left by means of the snaffle. Each time he tries to stop by lowering his head, he should be turned afresh ; but it is not necessary to insist on turning him more to one side than to the other side.

All horses have a soft and a hard side to their mouths. At first, if the horse resists when we try to turn him to the right, we should content ourselves by trying to turn him to the left. The great thing is to prevent him from bucking without going forward, his bucks being made in order to get rid of his rider.

Later on, when the horse has made some progress in his