CHAPTER V
THE AIDS
THE best procedure for the beginner would, no doubt, be to master all the details of seat, position, and the manipulation of the reins, while the horse is standing still. Few pupils, however, are at all willing to undertake any such patient labor. Young or adult, they want, not merely to walk, but to trot, before they have any idea what is to be done, either to direct or to control their mounts. My own experience is, therefore, that it is really better, on the whole, to let the beginner do, within reason, a good deal as he likes.
In the usual or lateral equitation, the rider possesses two aids or means of controlling the horse. These are the hands holding the reins and the calves of the legs, or in the case of the rider on a side-saddle, the left leg and the whip.
The effects of the hands are three:
- By pulling straight back on the reins, the rider signals the horse to diminish the speed of its forward motion or to stop it completely.
- By raising the hand vertically, the rider lifts the horse's head. The horse, in consequence, raises its front hand, and therefore, its front legs.
- By drawing more strongly on either rein, the
