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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1840 Excerpt:...the haunches under. By these means, the horse will be united, and the appuy will be lightened. Should the hand, however, be too confining to the horse when united, he may become so balanced on his haunches that he can neither disunite himself nor advance one step; and, should the rider then press him without yielding or dropping the hand, he would compel him to rear. Such are the two extremes, where the horse is disunited, and where he is too much united. The intermediate effect of the hand and heel must be acquired by practice. THE HAND. To a masterly hand, firmness, gentleness, and lightness, are very properly described as being essentially necessary. Firmness of the hand does not, however, do more than correspond exactly with the feeling in the horse's mouth, unless the horse attempts to get the ascendancy, to abandon that delicate correspondence producing the appuy, and keeping him under the strictest obedience, and to make a dull or insensible pull on the hand. To frustrate these attempts, the hand is kept firm, and the fingers braced; and, should the horse plant his head low to endure this, the fingers are moved, the reins shaken, &c, to raise the head and divert him from his purpose; or, if this be unavailing, the hand is yielded that the reins may become slack, and a snatch is given in an upward direction, which will not only make him raise his head, but will deter him from putting it down again. Gentleness of the hand relaxes a little of its firmness, and mitigates the feeling between the hand and the horse's mouth, without passing, however, from one extreme to another. Lightness of the hand lessens still more the feeling between the rider's hand and the horse's mouth, and consists in a slight alternate feeling and easing of the bridle, regulat...