and commence ducking up and down, like feminines dipping in the sad sea wave.

After, as in the walk, a course of "single-ride" and circling as advocated in this chapter, the rider will have mastered the primary difficulties of the trot, and he may now, at the close of each day's practice, be indulged with stirrups a hole or two longer than he will, perhaps, care for. As he improves, he will, according to the action of the horse, be properly fitted in respect of length of leather. The stirrup will be brought to meet the foot-the leg being in its proper position-not the foot to the stirrup. At first he must not be encouraged to rise in his stirrups, but to sit well down in his saddle—the whole of the body springing from the elasticity of the balls of the feet bearing on the stirrup together with the flexibility of the ankles and knees. Having found his balance, he may then, with such grace and ease as he can command, gently rise and fall with the action of the horse-taking care not to exhibit too much daylight between himself and the saddle, also, as already protested against, seeing that his feet do not "swag," or swing forward, as he falls into his seat, or, pendulum-like, travel back under him as he rises. A very ugly and, amongst old gentlemen, prevalent trick or habit the pupil should be warned against, viz. the conversion of the elbows into wings wherewith to aid the body in adjusting itself to meet the bump. It always, to me, conveys the impression of an ugly old duck emerging from some horsepond, and on tip-toe flapping his pinioned wings.

Once the rider has acquired the art of rising on the leading leg, has learnt to overcome the mysteries of the double bump, and can collect and extend his horse to any speed he wills, he may for greater ease, taking some living George Rice for his model, slightly alter his seat. Without roaching his back or thrusting his chin out, he, still well down in his saddle,

may incline his body from the loins just a little forward, bringing his hands inwards towards his waist. The handswrists rounded so that the nails are towards the body-remain stationary, the body, as it rises and falls, approaching and then retiring from them-the greatest distance between the hands and the waist being, as the body seeks the saddle, say four inches. At the extreme of the rise the lower waistcoat button will touch the hands without disturbing them. This is an essentially quiet style of riding; the rise and fall is minimised so as to be almost imperceptible; it gives spring to the shoulders, elbows and wrists, and favours light, sensitive handling.

In seeking to catch the cadence of the rise the rider should be up in his stirrups when the off fore leg is down; the time being taken from this foot. The rise must not be made suddenly, or with a jerk; the impetus must come from the horse. It is far more elegant to underdo than overdo movement. A man jumping up and down in his saddle, like a stamp in an ore crusher, must be a most uncomfortable load for the poor beast whose vertebræ he is pounding. A horse at the trot must not be permitted to hang on the rider's hand, or to dawdle in his pace; the pace must be true. Should he go "unconnected," i.e. half cantering and half trotting, it is impossible to keep even motion with him. If urged beyond his pace he will what is termed break up," and go all abroad, perhaps break into a gallop. In such case he must be pulled up, steadied, and once more, with his head in, made to step clean, light and evenly. He must not on any account be rated or punished, the fault was not his; he was asked to go faster than his legs could carry him. A few caresses and kind words will "gentle" him. In this little island eight-and-a-half miles an hour is as fast as a common hack or park trot need be,

if well done : we leave "under the thirties" to our go-ahead transatlantic cousins.

THE CANTER.

From the trot the horse naturally springs into the canter, that is if the rider knows how to prepare him for it. I must here refer the reader to the chapter on Action, in which this armchair pace is fully described. How often do we see a "muff" endeavouring to put his horse from a trot into a canter. First a dig in the ribs with one heel, to be followed by a jam from both-klk! klk! klk! a chuck with one, then with both bits at the poor brute's mouth, and an inviting rise in the stirrups. The trot becomes a faster and more unconnected trot, still no canter, the pace degenerating into a sort of a go-as-you-please indescribable double-shuffle—a cross breed between the gait of a galloping cow, the rack of a Jerusalem jackass, and the "flippant shtep" of an Irish pig with a lead to its hind leg. Another fumble with the reins, more back-heeling, spiced with a little red-hot profanity perhaps, and a "rib-binder" from the whip, drive the quadruped into a sprawling gallop, wrong leg leading, the reins are here, there and everywhere, bunched up all of a tangle, and the Mr. Washball, to save a runaway or a cropper, has to pull up as best he can.

The Canter is an artificial pace, during which, in a repetition of short bounds, the forehand rises first and higher than the quarters. Though the easiest of all to the rider, it is the most tiring and trying to the horse. The horse being light in hand and well balanced-having previously, when in the hands of the breaker, been tutored in Bending, Reining-in, and in obeying the pressure of the leg -can be made to strike a canter from the halt, walk, or

trot. The great secret in striking off is to take the weight off the leg you wish the horse to lead with. Should the horse be at all awkward in this pace, the best plan is to give him ten days' or a fortnight's instruction in the open-air riding-school, suggested at page 59. In a state of freedom a horse almost always leads, in his three natural paces— the walk, the trot and the gallop-with the left leg, only changing to the right to turn to that hand; for this reason it is advisable to give him his first few lessons working entirely to the right. In cantering to the right increase the pressure of the legs, touching him, if need be, with the spur, restraining him with the reins, preferably the curb, and at starting throw all the weight possible on the near hind leg. The excess of pressure on the mouth should be exerted by the left hand, that on the horse's side from the rider's right leg. This excess of bearing on the near side of the mouth is not to turn the horse to the left, but to bring all the weight on the near side. Always place the horse in position before asking him to strike off. In this position his off-legs are at liberty, and the forward impulse, communicated by the aids, compels him to use them. The light, playful action of both hands raises his forehand, the pressure of both legs makes him bring his haunches under him, and the prick of the spur sends him forward. Care must be taken that he does not bore on the bit, but that it exerts a reining-in influence, otherwise the leg and spur will only communicate a forward influence without the essential bringing in of the haunches, when the effect on the hind quarters is lost. In cantering to the right the off foreleg leads, followed by the off hind; in cantering to the left the placing of the legs is reversed. Teach him to work in a circle, to commence with, and then on the straight line. Once perfect in working in these two directions then teach