HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP,
TO
A Nephew and Niece;
OR,
COMMON SENSE AND COMMON ERRORS IN
COMMON RIDING.

BY

COLONEL GEORGE GREENWOOD,
Late Lieut.-Col. commanding 2nd Life Guards.

NEW EDITION.

LONDON:
EDWARD MOXON & CO., DOVER STREET.
1861.

---

LONDON
BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.

---

CONTENTS.

---

CHAPTER I.
MILITARY RIDING NOT FIT FOR COMMON RIDING.

PAGE Throughout Europe there is only one style of riding taught 2 That is the soldier’s one-handed style 2 Two hands should be used to the reins 5 A soldier’s horse must turn on the wrong rein 7 Common riders generally turn their horses on the wrong rein 9 Result of this with colts or restive horses 10 Indications are not aids 12

CHAPTER II.
HOLDING AND HANDLING THE REINS.

Reins at full length 14 The downward clutch 16 The Grecian mode of holding and handling the reins 18 The side clutch 20 The two reins crossed in one hand 21 A rein in each hand 23 Turn to the right, and left 26 The hunting hand 26 The rough-rider’s hand 27 Fixing the hands 28

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@28563@[email protected]#chap2-10" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">Use of both bridles at once 30 Shortening the reins when held one in each hand, system of taught, and of untaught horsemen 30 Use of the whip 34 Horses swerve and turn only to the left 34 Fault in “the great untaught,” two-handed, English rider 35

CHAPTER III.
EFFECT OF INDICATIONS.

Retaining, urging, and guiding indications 36 To make a horse collect himself 37 Canter, right turn, right pass 38 Left shoulder in 38 Bearing on the mouth 39 The horse must be made to collect himself in turning 42 And should not be turned on one rein only 43 Lady’s canter 44 The quicker the pace, the greater degree of collection 44 French and English mistake in this 45 The shy horse 46 The restive horse 48 Truth may be paradoxical 49

CHAPTER IV.
MECHANICAL AID OF THE RIDER.

The rider cannot raise the falling horse 50 Harm is done by the attempt

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">51 The bearing-rein 54 Mechanical assistance of the jockey to his horse 56 Standing on the stirrups 58 Difference between the gallop and the leap 58 Steeple-chases and hurdle-races unfair on the horse 59 The rider should not attempt to lift his horse at a fence 61

CHAPTER V.
THE SEAT.

There is one direction which applies to all seats 65 Different seats for different styles of riding 65 The manège and the Eastern seats are the extremes 66 The long stirrup is necessary for cavalry to act in line 67 Medium length of stirrup for common riding 69

CHAPTER VI.
MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING.

Directions to place a lady in her saddle 70 Directions to mount at a halt 71 To mount in movement 71 To dismount in movement 71 To vault on or over in movement 72 To vault on at a halt 72 Circus for practising these movements 72 To pick a whip from the ground 72 To face about in the

saddle 73

CHAPTER VII.
THE BIT.

Place of the bit in the horse’s mouth 74 Principle of the bit 74 Action of the common bit 76 Action of the Chifney bit 77 The loose eye 77 The nose-band 77 The horse’s defence against the bit by the tongue 78 Effect of the porte against this defence 78 Defence of the horse by the lip 80 Defence by the teeth 80 Bar of the military and driving bit 81 Martingale 81 Danger does not result from power 84

CHAPTER VIII.
THE SADDLE AND SIDE-SADDLE.

A side-saddle should have no right hand pummel 86 The leaping-horn 86 Surcingle 88 Stirrup-leather 89 Stirrup-iron 90 Girthing 90 To avoid riding on the buckles of the girths

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@28563@[email protected]#chap8-7" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">91

CHAPTER IX.
THE SHORT REIN.

The short rein should be used when one hand is occupied 93 Its use to a soldier 94 Its use with the restive horse 94 It should not be used in hunting, or in swimming a horse 95 Objection to it for common riding 95 Used by postilion 96 Short rein of the Eastern horseman 96

CHAPTER X.
COLT-BREAKING.

Colt-breaking is the best possible lesson for the rider 97 The head-stall 98 The snaffle 99 Longeing 101 Saddling 102 Mounting 102 Sermon to the colt-breaker 103 The noblest horse resists the most 103 The horse has a natural right to resist 103 The colt wants no suppling 105 He wants to be taught the meaning of your indications 105 And to be brought to obey them 110 The leaping-bar

class="tdr">110 Fetch and carry 113

CHAPTER XI.
THE HORSE AND HIS STABLE.

Condition depends on food, work, and warmth 115 So does the difference between the breeds of horses 116 The terseness of the Arab is the result of hard food 116 So is that of our thorough-bred horse 117 Different breeds result from different natural conditions 118 Crossing only necessary where natural conditions are against you 119 We do not attend enough to warmth 120 We should get fine winter coats by warmth, instead of singeing 120 No fear of cold from fine coats 121 The horse’s foot should be stopped with clay 121 The sore ridge 122 Stable breast-plate 124 The head-stall 125 Never physic, bleed, blister, or fire your horse 126 Food for condition 126 Rest for strains 126 Nature for wounds 126 Miles for shoeing 127 The horse should have water always by him

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">127 And should stand loose 128 No galloping on hard ground, either by master or man 128 He who cripples the horse kills him 128

---

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE Frontispiece To face Title. Vignette Title. FIG. PAGE   1.—Strict Regimental 3   2.—Varied Regimental 4   3.—Reins at full length 15   4.—Down clutch 17   5.—Down clutch, rein in each hand 18   6.—Side clutch 19   7.—Side clutch, rein in each hand 20   8.—Cross 22   9.—Rein in each hand 23 10.—Turn to the right 25 11.—Turn to the left 26 12.—Hunting gallop 27 13.—Rough-rider 28 14.—Fixing hands 29

---

HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP.

---

CHAPTER I.

MILITARY RIDING NOT FIT FOR COMMON RIDING.

---

Throughout

Europe there is only one style of riding taught; that is, the soldier’s one-handed style.—Two hands should be used to the reins.—A soldier’s horse must turn on the wrong rein.—Common riders generally turn their horses on the wrong rein. Result of this with colts or restive horses.—Indications are not aids.

When you wish to turn to the right pull the right rein stronger than the left. This is common sense. The common error is precisely the reverse. The common error is, when you wish to turn to the right to pass the hand to the right. By this the right rein is slackened, and the left rein is tightened, across the horse’s neck, and the horse is required to turn to the right when the left rein is pulled. It is to correct this common error, this monstrous and perpetual source of bad riding and of bad usage to good animals, that these pages are written.

England is the only European country which admits of more than one style of riding. Only one style of riding taught. But in all Europe, even in England, there is but one style of riding taught, as a system; that style is the manége or military style. That is, a one-handed style. The military style is, and must ever be essentially a one-handed style, for the soldier must have his right hand at liberty for his weapons. The recruit is indeed made to ride with a single snaffle in two hands, but only as a preparatory step to the one-handed style. His left hand then becomes his bridle hand, and that hand must hold the reins in such a manner as will require the least possible aid from the sword hand to shorten them as occasion may require. This is with the fourth finger only between them (Fig. 1).