eping an easier feeling on his mouth than when
trotting. She should indulge in no snatches at the reins, but should
always preserve one fixed length of rein, unless she requires to alter
the pace. The legs should remain perfectly still as in the walk, the
knees should be kept ready to grip the crutches at any required moment,
and the body from the hips upward should conform to the motion of the
horse. Figs. 98, 99 and 100 show a nice easy position in the different
phases of the canter. It is absolutely essential for a lady to acquire a
good strong seat at this pace, because it is practically the same as in
the gallop and jump, and must therefore be regarded as her hunting seat.
One of the first things to remember in the canter is to allow no
movement of the seat, which should remain nailed as it were to the
saddle, the hip joints supplying all the necessary motion to the body,
and, as I have already said, the legs should be kept perfectly steady.
To increase the adherence of the left knee against the flap of the
saddle, the left foot should be carried a little outwards away from the
horse's side, and its pressure chiefly applied to the inner side of the
stirrup-iron, which will consequently be more depressed than the outer
side. It has been remarked that an ugly seat at the canter is a sight
that would spoil the finest landscape in the world, so a lady who
desires to ride well should not be satisfied if she can merely stick on,
like the lady in Fig. 101, but should try to ride correctly. Her head
will perhaps at first be jerked to and fro like a "vexed weathercock,"
but practice will enable her to overcome the tendency to fix the muscles
of her neck and to allow her head to follow the motion of her body. She
should take care that her elbows do not flap up and down like the
pinions of an awkward nestling learning to fly, but should keep them
close to her sides, where they will be of more assistance to her in
controlling her horse. In cantering on a circle to the left, a horse
should of course lead with his near fore, for if he then leads with his
off fore he will be liable to cross his legs and fall. If the canter is
false--that is to say, if a horse is leading with the wrong leg--the
movements of the limbs will be disunited, and the rider will find the
motion rough and unpleasant, in which case she should pull him up and
make him lead with the correct leg. When the pupil feels herself
becoming tired or unsteady in her sea