Hints on Horsemanship, to a Nephew and Niece Part 3

Woe to the sportsman who ambitiously attempts to lift his horse mechanically over a fence on the principle discussed above; he is much more likely to throw him into it. He had better content himself with sitting quietly on his horse, holding him only just enough to keep his head straight and to regulate his pace, and trust the rest to his horse's honour. The horse should feel sufficiently commanded to know that he _must_ go, and sufficiently at liberty to know that he _may_ use all his capabilities. The body should not previously be thrown back, but as the horse springs, the lower part of the rider being firmly fixed in the saddle, and the upper part perfectly pliable, the body will fall back of itself; and with strong jumping horses, or at down leaps, the shoulders of fine riders will constantly meet their horse's croupes.

A bad horseman throws his horse down, which a good one does not. That is, because the bad horseman hurries his horse over hard or rough ground, or down hill, or over loose stones--allows him to choose his own ground--lets him flounder into difficulties, and when there, hauls him so that he cannot see, or exert himself to get out of them, and expecting chastis.e.m.e.nt, the horse springs and struggles to avoid it before he has recovered his feet, and goes down with a tremendous impetus. If he has to cross a rut to the right he probably forces his horse across it when the right foot is on the ground. In this case, unless the horse collects himself and jumps--if he attempts to step across it, the probability is that in crossing his legs he knocks one against the other and falls. The reverse of all this should be the case.

If you have not sufficient tact to feel which of your horse's feet is on the ground, you must allow him to choose his own time for crossing, which will be when the left foot is on the ground.

You should habitually choose your horse's ground for him, for, notwithstanding his often vaunted sagacity and safety, the wisest among horses will, to avoid a moving leaf, put his foot over a precipice. This will become as easy to you as choosing your own path in walking. If your horse has made a false step, or is in difficulties, you cannot leave him too much at liberty, or be too quiet with him. The only notice to be taken is to re-a.s.sure him by caressing him, if you see that he expects chastis.e.m.e.nt from previous brutal treatment.

I will add that you should habitually prevent your horse out-walking or lagging behind his companions; he is either very unsociable or a bad horseman, who does not keep abreast of his companions. Besides, horses, being gregarious, are apt to follow one another. This should not be.

Your horse should be in perpetual obedience to the indications which your hands and legs give him, and to nothing else. These indications should not only decide the pace which he is to take, but deal out to him the rate at which each pace is to be executed, and also determine his carriage during the performance of it; that is, the degree in which he is to collect himself, or the degree of liberty which is to be allowed him.

FOOTNOTE:

[54-*] Of all stupid appliances of man to his horse, the most dense is the Austrian and south German mode of driving the einspanner or single horse or a leader. The rein goes single from the driver's hand, and divides into two at the horse's neck. The driver, therefore, has no power of making a distinct indication on either rein: and to turn, he whips and jerks till the horse guesses his meaning.

CHAPTER V.

THE SEAT.

There is one direction which applies to all seats.--Different seats for different styles of riding.--The manege and the Eastern seats are the extremes.--The long stirrup is necessary for cavalry to act in line.--Medium length of stirrup for common riding.

[Sidenote: One direction for all seats.]

There is one direction which, I think, applies to all seats. Turn the thigh from the hip, so as to bring the hollow to the saddle; this places the foot straight to the front, with the heel out and the toe in.

Trotting without stirrups, on the thigh only, with the heel down and the toe up, shoulders back, a snaffle-rein in each hand, like a rough-rider (Fig. 13), is the best possible practice for sitting.

[Sidenote: Different seats for different styles of riding.]

[Sidenote: Manege and Eastern seats the extremes.]

Farther than this I abstain from giving any particular directions about the seat; because, though I consider the rules here laid down for the hands as applicable to every species of riding (I have excepted the soldier with his weapon in his right hand), I think there is a peculiar seat proper to many different styles of riding. The extremes of these are the manege and the Eastern styles, both admirable in their way, and perfectly practical, but each wholly inapplicable to the performances of the other.

[Sidenote: Long stirrups are necessary for cavalry.]

What can be more perfect than the seats of M. de Kraut and the Marquis de Beauvilliers, in De la Gueriniere's work, or the engraving of M. de Nestier? But I do not think that a man in such a seat would look well, or perform well, in a five-pound saddle, over the beacon course: still less that he could lay the reins on the neck of a well-bred horse, and at full speed lie along his horse's side, and with his own body below his horse's back, prime and load a long Persian gun, jump up and use both hands to fire to the right or left, or over his horse's croupe; or that he could wield a long heavy lance with the power of a Cossack; or at full gallop hurl the djerrid to the rear with the force of a Persian, and again, without any diminution of speed, pick it from the ground. On the other hand, his peculiar seat renders the Eastern horseman so utterly helpless in the performances of the manege, that he is unable to make his horse rein back, or _pa.s.s_ sideways a step. And I have seen three hundred Mussulman troops from the northern parts of Persia (each of whom would perform forty such feats as I have mentioned) take more than an hour to form a very bad parade line, in single rank. When one of them was the least too far forward, or had an interval between him and the dressing hand, however small, as he could neither make his horse rein back, nor pa.s.s sideways, he was obliged to ride out to the front, turn round to the rear, and ride into the rank afresh, and so in succession every man beyond him. This was an affair of seat; the Eastern horseman's leg does not come low enough to give his horse what are called _sides_.

On _sides_ depend reining back and pa.s.sing; on reining back and pa.s.sing depend _closing_ and _dressing_, and consequently the power of acting in line. On _sides_ also depends the _central_ wheel of threes _on their own ground_. This is an invaluable attribute to cavalry, regular or irregular. On the plain, the central wheel of threes affords the only true principle of correcting intervals between squadrons, regiments, or brigades, whether in line or in line of columns. Threes also supply the most perfect principle of retiring in line in the presence of an enemy, with the power of instantly showing front, provided that (according to regulation) leaders are appointed to the rear, the same as to the front.

In the defile, for advanced or rear-guard movements, threes alone afford the power to occupy the entire width of a lane, road, street, or defile, with the perfect facility of constant and instant alternation of retiring and advancing. Without some _central_ wheel, columns or divisions occupying the width of a road or street, _can not retire_; or when retiring, cannot show front to the enemy. With reining back and pa.s.sing (and they are easily acquired) irregular cavalry might move with the precision of regular cavalry.

I should say, that the most perfect seat for the manege should be shortened for the soldier to give him power with his weapons; that the military rider should take up his stirrups when he goes hunting; the hunter the same when he rides a race; and for tours de force, I consider the short stirrup-leather and the broad stirrup-iron of the East indispensable--they give, in fact, the strength of the standing instead of the sitting posture. The Cossack retains this standing posture even at a trot; few Eastern hors.e.m.e.n allow that pace at all, but make their horses walk, amble, or gallop.

[Sidenote: Medium for common riding.]

The English hunting seat is, in point of length, the medium of those mentioned; and perhaps that seat, or something between that and the military seat, is the best adapted to common riding. It unites, in a greater degree than any other, ease, utility, power, and grace.

CHAPTER VI.

MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING.

Directions to place a lady on her saddle.--Directions to mount at a halt.--In movement.--To dismount in movement.--To vault on at a halt.--Circus for practising these movements.--To pick a whip from the ground.--To face about in the saddle.

[Sidenote: To mount a side-saddle.]

To mount, a lady should place her left hand on the pummel or leaping horn, the right hand on the off side of the cantle, or as far towards it as possible, and should seat herself between her two hands; she should give the left foot, this should be kept precisely under the weight; if it is given forward (which is the common error) each person is pushed backward one from the other. This should be practised on any piece of furniture; the man should use both his hands, and in this way a weak person may put up the heaviest weight. You may put a man of fifteen stone on the top of a door with the greatest ease,--try if you can do this in any other way.

[Sidenote: To mount at a halt.]

[Sidenote: Or in movement.]

To mount, a man should place his left shoulder to his horse's left shoulder, so as to look to the horse's rear; take your whip, reins, and the mane in the left hand, with the right hand take the lower part of the stirrup-leather between the fore-finger and thumb, the little finger on the upper part of the stirrup-iron; take a hop forward facing the saddle and turning your toe to the horse's front _without touching his side_, take the cantle with the right hand and up. If the horse moves on, he only spares you the previous hop, and by walking or running backward with him you may mount almost at a gallop. In taking the right stirrup, avoid touching the horse with the spur, or even pressing him with the leg. If he has been made shy by such usage, place your left hand on the pummel, and with the right hand place the stirrup on the foot, keeping both legs from the horse's sides.

[Sidenote: To dismount in movement.]

[Sidenote: To vault on or over in movement.]

[Sidenote: To vault on at a halt.]

To dismount in movement, lay the reins on the neck, one or both knotted short; take the pummel with the left hand the cantle with the right, pa.s.s the right leg over the neck, shift the right hand to the pummel, and as you descend, the left hand to the flap. With the strength of both arms throw your feet forward in the direction in which the horse is going, this may be done at a gallop. If it is wished to vault on again, while the right hand holds the pummel take the mane with the left, and without taking a step you may go up or over, the quicker the pace the easier. It is difficult to jump on to the saddle at a halt, the easiest way is to take the mane as directed for mounting and to jump from the left foot, the right hand coming on to the pummel as you descend into the saddle.

[Sidenote: Circus for practice.]

To practise these movements, form a circus by placing wattle hurdles on end, leaning outward against the _sh.o.r.es_ or staves; take the stirrups off, tie a string over the flaps and the horse's head loosely to this--a man with a driving whip in the middle. Circus riding, I believe, originated in England, in the time of our grandfathers; in Germany it is called "English reiten."

[Sidenote: To pick a whip from the ground.]

To pick a whip from the ground, take the pummel with the right hand, place the side of the left foot against the girth, the toe between the horse's elbows, bring the back of the right leg on to the top of the saddle, and let yourself down to the full stretch of your right arm; this is very easy at the halt, still easier on the move, _if your horse is quiet_. If you fail, you only dismount on your hands instead of your feet, which on turf may be done innocuously at a canter.

[Sidenote: To face about in the saddle.]

To face about in the saddle place the palms of the hands on the pummel, throw your legs out horizontally over the horse's croupe, turn and come into the saddle facing to the tail. If M. Cui Bono remarks that the last two feats are, like others which I might detail, useless, I answer, that the practice of no feat of activity or strength is useless. Activity and strength, the unctae dona palaestrae, form a firm a.s.surance against perils, not only to your own life but to the lives of others.

CHAPTER VII.

THE BIT.

Place of the bit in the mouth.--Principle of the bit.--Action of the common bit.--Action of the Chifney bit.--The loose eye.--The noseband.--The horse's defence against the bit by the tongue.--Effect of the porte against this defence.--Defence by the lip.--Defence by the teeth.--Bar of the military and driving bit.--Martingale.--Danger does not result from power.