M. Horace Hayes

Making a horse obey the rein—Manner in which a horse should carry his head and neck, when in motion—Suitability of the horse to the bridle—How the mouth-piece should act—Teaching the horse to bend his neck to the rein—Proper direction for the pull of the reins—The running martingale—Bearing reins, side reins, and running reins—Teaching the horse to turn—Reining back—Lunging—Good hands—Snaffles and curbs—Elastic reins on dumb jockeys—The standing martingale—Nose-bands.

Making a Horse obey the rein.—In mouthing, we should act on the principle I have advocated, in the preceding chapter, of making our equine servant accord ready obedience to the lawful commands of his master; after we have taught him to understand our wishes expressed by the proper “indications.” The breaker will do well always to bear in mind the old maxim, that “a horse should never get the chance of pulling successfully against the bit, or unsuccessfully against the collar.” As a man on foot has as thorough command over a horse, as the animal has over its rider—supposing that both know how to exercise their respective powers—the breaker should, naturally, commence his mouthing lessons on foot, and should, as a rule, refrain from giving the horse the advantage of having him in the saddle, until the habit of obedience to rein, leg, and, if need be, to voice, is fully confirmed. In all this, we act on the retentiveness of the horse’s memory, which is his strongest mental quality, in guarding ourselves from the ill consequences that might ensue from the exercise of the animal’s reasoning powers, which, luckily for us, are comparatively feeble, or from his natural impatience of control.

With some horses, especially with those that have learned to know their own power, the process of inculcating the habit of obedience to the rein, by simply working on the horse’s mouth, may be ineffective, or may be too tedious for practical requirements. In such a case, I would advocate the advisability of exacting obedience, in the first instance, by some readily feasible method, as advocated on page 11; so as to impress the animal with the idea of our supreme power over him, and to banish from his mind any thought of resisting our will, even on a point concerning which he would always prove victorious, had he sufficient intelligence to see through our artifice. Our power over the horse, when we are on his back, being necessarily limited in extent, it follows that, with all our teaching, we may, at times, be unable to control our mounts.

Although young horses, well bred and truly shaped, will, generally, “carry” themselves to the best advantage, we may find that many animals, even in a state of freedom, and, more particularly, those that have been in bad hands, contract a stiff and awkward carriage, which, as a rule, may be easily remedied by two or three days’ “mouthing,” on the system I shall describe further on, followed by good handling and the ordinary routine of saddle, or harness work. I in no way mean to say that careful riding or driving would not, in time, accomplish the object in view, without the aid of the work on foot; but I maintain that the preliminary mouthing is invaluable in the saving of time, and that it can produce effects which are unattainable by any rider, however good his hands may be.

Manner in which a Horse should carry his head and neck, when in motion.—When the animal takes a stride to the front, the fore-limb, which is connected to the body by muscular attachment, is drawn forwards and upwards by certain muscles of the neck; their action being naturally regulated by the depression or elevation of the head. If the head be unduly raised, the forward reach of the fore-legs will be curtailed by this “high” style of going; and the speed will, consequently, suffer. If, on the contrary, the head be brought down too low, the animal, if at the gallop or canter, instead of “going level,” will have a more or less pitching motion, from too much weight being thrown on his forehand; and will lose time in his stride by excessive bending of his knees, which is necessary to enable his feet, in that case, to clear the ground.

Owing to the variety in the conformation of different horses, and in the work they are called upon to do, it is impossible to lay down any fixed rule as to the angle at which the neck should be carried: a fact that is of little moment; as experience will enable us to form a sufficiently near approximation for all practical purposes.

The neck muscles, which draw the fore-limb forward, will naturally act to the best advantage when the neck vertebrÆ are extended on each other; that is, when the neck is straight. According as the neck is bent, so will this forward “pull” be diminished.

The chief muscle that draws the fore-limb forward is attached to the head in such a manner, that it acts best when the head is carried, more or less, at right angles to the neck. Hence, we may take for granted, especially, as the correctness of the assumption can be verified by experience, that this position of the head is the best one for requirements demanding the exhibition of speed, or strength. For military purposes, “pace” is to some extent sacrificed for obtaining increased control and “handiness.”

Suitability of the Horse to the bridle.—When the horse carries his head and neck in an easy, natural manner, in fact, in the best one for the display of his powers—as we have seen in the preceding paragraphs of this chapter—the mouth-piece of the snaffle will rest on the “bars” of the mouth, as long as the reins are held not much above the level of the withers. Hence, from the peculiar conformation of the horse, we obtain two special advantages for rendering him obedient to the rein. First, the “bars”—that portion of the gums of the lower jaw which are devoid of teeth and which are in front of the molars—are singularly suitable for the application of pressure; being sensitive and smooth. Secondly, when the horse carries his head and neck in the best manner for facilitating his movements, the mouth-piece will be in the position easiest for the rider or driver to control the animal by the reins. The breaker’s task, therefore, as regards the carriage of the horse’s head and neck, will simply be to teach him to carry them in a perfectly natural way.

How the mouth-piece should act.—If an impetuous, hard-pulling horse gets his head up and tries to “break away” with a good rider, the man will ease the reins, “drop his hands,” and wait till the animal lowers its head, before he takes a pull: a rule that is followed by all our best horsemen. When the animal finds its head released, he will quickly bring it “down.” The reasons for not pulling at the reins when the head is “up,” are: that, when it is carried in this position, the mouth-piece falls on the corners of the mouth, pressure against which, we find by experience, is not effective in restraining the horse; and that the horse will not, as a rule, lower his head as long as the rider continues to haul on the reins. As soon as the head is brought down into its natural position, the pressure of the mouth-piece will fall on the bars. We may readily conceive, that far more pain results from the superficial nerves of the bars being squeezed between two hard bodies—the mouth-piece and the bone—than that caused by pressure on the loose and mobile tissue which forms the corners of the mouth. If, in the case I have imagined, the horse tries to get his head too low down, our typical good rider will endeavour to make the animal bring it into its proper position. The relief to the mouth obtained by arching the neck and bringing the chin close in to the chest, as some hard-mouthed horses will do, is due to a portion of the pull of the reins being, then, taken by the crown-piece of the bridle; instead of the whole of the pressure, as it should do, falling on the bars. A horse may, also, by stretching his head out, get the mouth-piece off the bars, and on to the corners of the mouth. It is needless to say that such actions on his part, are done with the object of “saving” the mouth. As they are opposed to the possession of proper control over the horse, the breaker should teach him to abandon, if he has learnt, these tricks, and to acquire the habit of bending his neck to the rein, and slackening his speed, as his sole defence against the pressure of the mouth-piece. The only alternative I can see for the use of pressure on the bars, would be its application on the nose by some form of nose-band.

Teaching the Horse to bend his neck to the rein.—Having taught the horse to hold his head, when he is ridden or driven, in an easy, natural position—namely, in one that will allow the mouth-piece always to rest on the bars—we must then teach him, on the reins being “felt,” to bend his neck in order to “save” his mouth. The partial check to the action of the muscles that draw the fore-limb forward, caused by the bending of the neck (see page 45) will be an easily understood signal to the animal to moderate his pace.

Proper direction for the pull of the reins.—When the horse is in motion, the forward propulsion by the hind-legs is given through the hip-joints; while that by the fore-limbs, passes through, we may roughly say, the elbow-joints. As the former impetus greatly exceeds the latter, we may assume that the centre of motion is a little in front of, and a little below the level of, the hip-joints. To comply with mechanical requirements, any pressure of the bridle on the mouth must, therefore, be in the direction of this centre of motion, so that the regularity of the stride may be interfered with as little as possible. The rule, taught by experience, of holding the hands, when riding, and especially when galloping, just below the withers, is in entire agreement with this fact.

If the rider’s hands be unduly raised, so as to make the horse carry his head too high, there will be too much weight put on the hind-quarters.

As a point of interest, I may state that, under ordinary circumstances, when a horse begins to tire in his gallop, he will, instead of “going level,” throw increased weight on his forehand, and his croup, when his hind-quarters make their stroke, will become more and more raised. To accurately express this “dwelling on his stride,” we may say, that as the horse becomes fatigued, the forward motion becomes, proportionately, converted into one of rotation, the chief cause of this being that the weight of the rider falls principally on the forehand. Hence, we find that, at the finish of a race, a good jockey “sits down” in his saddle, “catches a good hold” of the animal’s head, and holds his hands a little above the withers: actions on his part which tend to relieve the horse’s forehand of weight, and, consequently, to make him use his powers to the best advantage.

In military riding, which demands special control over the animal’s movements, the horse’s head is drawn in, and the rider’s hand raised, much more than they would be in ordinary work.

The running martingale.—The legitimate uses of this gear are to aid in keeping the horse straight, and to prevent the reins going over his head; but not to keep the head down. If this martingale be so short as to exert a downward pull on the reins, too much weight will be thrown on the forehand. If the horse raises his head even when this martingale is lengthened out, so as to bring its rings on a level with the withers, when it is pulled up, the downward direction of the reins, from the mouth-piece to the rings of the martingale, will produce the same ill effect. Hence, it is a maxim among all good jockeys, that the head of the race-horse, with whom a level style of galloping is one of the chief essentials to success, should be kept down by the rider’s hands, and not by the running martingale. It is the custom, therefore, among jockeys, when they use this gear, to lengthen it out, so that, when it is drawn up, to test its length, its rings will come up to the angle of the lower jaw, when the head is held in a natural position—a length which will obviate any chance of there being a downward pull on the reins.

In the training of a race-horse that “star-gazes,” the use of a running martingale, in order to keep his head down, besides interfering with his action, is detrimental to the soundness of his legs and feet, by reason of the extra weight thrown, thereby, on his forehand.

Respecting the injurious effects of hampering the action of the neck muscles, and of putting a severe downward pressure on the mouth, especially during rapid motion, I may quote the following interesting extract from ‘White’s Veterinary Art,’ which was written many years ago: “There is a great danger, however, of attempting to make the mouth at the time of riding, by means of a running rein; for if he is a stubborn or runaway horse, there is great danger of throwing him down, and in the most dangerous manner that can be. For, if he is determined to run away, and the rider endeavours to prevent him by a running rein, in drawing the nose down to his chest, the muscles of the shoulder are so restrained that he must of necessity pull him down topsy-turvy. Since the body being propelled by the muscles of the hind parts, the restraint thus imposed upon the extensor muscles of the fore-leg, prevents their being thrown out to the extent required, and he comes down with the most dangerous violence. I have known this accident happen with horses that have had upright shoulders and very well-formed hind parts; and I have also known very safe horses, that have contracted a habit of going with their noses poked out, become very unsafe, and soon get broken knees by the endeavour to improve their carriage by a martingale or running rein.”

Bearing reins, side reins, and running reins.—I would dispense with the use, in breaking, of these three appliances, as ordinarily employed; for the first acts by exerting pressure on the corners of the bars, while the other two tend to keep the head in an unnaturally low position. Were the side reins lengthened out so as to act as a properly arranged standing martingale (see page 70), or were the running reins attached high up on the saddle; as near as possible on the level of the withers, their use would be wholly unobjectionable. With the long reins (see page 172), the standing martingale (see page 70), and driving pad (see page 166), the horse can be quickly taught to carry himself properly, without any injurious effect being produced.

Teaching the Horse to turn.—When we fail to make a horse turn properly, we find, almost always, that our want of success is due to the animal’s hind-quarters not “coming round” in concert with his head and neck, which, as a rule, can be “bent” to the right or left with facility. I venture to dissent, with all diffidence, from the principle of the “suppling” lessons enjoined by that great master of equitation, M. Baucher, as first steps for “forming the mouth,” for teaching the horse to bring his head round to one side or the other, according to the indication used, while the hind limbs remain fixed. To my thinking, precision in the simple movements of advancing to the front, reining back, and turning, should be sought for, before attempting any artificial evolutions,—such as the “passage,” and “shoulder-in,”—only, in which, the bending of the head and neck is made independently of that of the hind-quarters. As, in riding, all turns should be made with the aid of the support of the “outward leg”—a fact too widely recognized for the

Fig. 1.—Horse bending his neck to the rein without swinging round his hind-quarters at the same time, in answer to the pull.

necessity of proof here—we should teach our pupil, from the outset, to avail himself of such assistance. As the rider’s weight tends to advance the position of the centre of gravity, the natural turn, especially at fast-paces, will be a compromise between the turn “on the centre,” and that “on the haunches.” I may remark, that the further the weight is thrown back, and the greater is the support of the outward leg, the more will the turn be made on the haunches. The use of this leg-pressure, although necessitated by the unequal distribution of the rider’s weight, is, besides this, valuable in all sharp turns made at speed. The turn “on the forehand” can be taught by the rider, after the simpler one is mastered. In treating about turning, I draw no distinction between the saddle and harness horse; for the latter should be made as “clever” as the former, in “collecting” himself and “coming round.”

Let us suppose that a horse is ridden at a fence, A B (see Fig. 1), and that he “runs out” to the left; although the rider has pulled the animal’s head round to the right, in his endeavour to keep him straight. In this case, the horse yielded to the rein with his neck, but refused to swing round his hind-quarters—a movement, on his part, which would have brought him at right angles to the fence (see Fig. 2); so that he would have had either to jump or to stop, neither of which actions would affect in any way the precision with which the turn had been made. Again, if a horse jibs in harness, and refuses to turn, say, to the right, we shall, in the vast majority of cases, have no difficulty in making him turn his head round in the required direction, although he will obstinately keep his hind-quarters fixed. The same may be said of a horse that rears. If these animals would only turn their hind-quarters round with the same facility that they bend their necks, they would lose their strongest “defence” against our “aids” (the reins and legs of the rider). It is evident that in every turn, the hind-quarters have to move round

in the opposite direction to the head and neck; the centre round which the movement is made, being advanced or brought back, according as the turn is made “on the forehand,” or “on the haunches.”

Reining back.—It is an axiom of the riding-school, worthy of implicit acceptance, that, until a horse has learned to rein back with facility and precision, he cannot be considered to have a good mouth; for, by performing this movement in the manner described, he shews that he is intelligently obedient to the indications of the rein, in yielding to its pressure, and, at the same time, in bringing his hind-legs “well under” him. Herein lies the value of the practice of reining back, which teaches the animal to understand that a pull on the reins is quite as much a signal for him to “collect” himself, as to moderate his pace. Hence, the use of a judicious pull when going at high “timber,” or when galloping through heavy ground, especially, when the horse is tired. If, when travelling fast, the animal will only bend his neck to the rein, while letting his hind-quarters sprawl out behind, he will quickly tire, and will, also, be a most unsafe “conveyance,” from inability to raise his forehand, as occasion may require.

Lunging.—Although lunging usually forms a considerable portion of the work given to young horses, during their period of breaking, I mention it, here, solely with the object of advising its discontinuance altogether. Making a horse circle with the weight on his forehand, while his hind-quarters are “thrown out,” not alone teaches him an awkward style of moving, but is also a fertile cause of sprain to the tendons and ligaments of the fore-limb. Again, as it is much more easy for the vast majority of men to keep turning round in one direction—in one opposite to that in which the hands of a clock revolve, for right-handed people—than in the other; it follows, that the generality of men, when they lunge a colt or filly, will circle the young one more to the left than to the right; just as we may see done any day on Newmarket Heath, opposite the railway station. The injurious effects of such a practice are self-evident. I shall describe, further on, a method of circling a horse—the breaker being on foot—by which the animal is made to move in a thoroughly “balanced” manner, and by which his mouth can be “formed” at the same time. I am confident that all good horsemen to whom it is new, will, on seeing how it is done, adopt it unreservedly. I am aware that the practice of lunging is discredited by many good breakers who are unacquainted with the method of circling which I have introduced.

Good hands.—The term “Good hands” signifies the ability of taking a pull at the rein—supposing it be required—when the horse’s head is in the proper position for the mouth-piece to act on the “bars” of the animal’s mouth; and of slackening them when the horse attempts to escape the pressure by bringing his head into a wrong position, or when the animal yields to the indication of the rein. The action of the mouth-piece, and the advisability of refraining from pulling at the reins when the head is in a wrong position, have been fully dealt with in the preceding pages. I may, however, draw attention to the fact that when the horse’s head is in the wrong position for the action of the bridle, it is in an unfavourable one for the movements of the fore-limb; being raised or depressed to an undue extent, or too much flexed or extended on the neck (i.e. chin drawn in, or poked out). Hence, the natural tendency of the horse will be, if his mouth be not interfered with, to bring his head in the position which is the best for his own movements, and which is the most suitable for the action of the mouth-piece of the bridle. A hard-pulling horse, for instance, ridden or driven by a man with “good hands,” will, probably, get his head “up,” on feeling the pressure of the mouth-piece, when he tries to break away. Being inconvenienced in his movements by this awkward carriage of the head, and lacking, on account of the slackness of the reins, the incentive to keep it “up,” he lowers it, to again experience the restraining pull. This will, probably, go on for a few times, until, wearied by a contest in which he finds himself baffled, he yields to the indication of the rein, and slackens his pace. Feeling that he “saves” his mouth the moment he does this, by the rider “giving” to him, he remains “in hand” for the rest of the journey. The typical “mutton-fisted” man, on the contrary, will keep hauling away at the reins, after the horse has got the mouth-piece on to the corners of the mouth, or, by getting his chin into his chest, and his head down, has transferred the pressure on to his poll. Consequently, the animal, experiencing the relief thus obtained, will naturally conclude that he has got the best of the battle, and will continue on his own course as long as he pleases. The harder such a man pulls on the reins, the more likely will he be to incite the animal to shew fight. In this case, the man foolishly pits the strength of his arms against the greatly superior power of the horse’s neck. The rider with good hands, on the contrary, uses a pull on the reins, merely as a means of letting the animal know, that, if it will obey his wishes, it will “save” its own mouth; a hint which, as a rule, is readily taken. I need hardly say that the severer the bit, the better should be the hands of the man who employs it. A really fine horseman can ride with success in almost any kind of bit.

Snaffles and curbs.—The only advantage possessed by the curb over the snaffle is, as a rule, its greater power of control. This superiority is attended with the serious objections that: (1) the use of the curb is, often, irritating to the horse, who, if roused, can always successfully resist its control; and (2) that it is, more or less, detrimental to the action of the horse, by tending to make him averse from “going up to his bridle,” and by obliging him, so as to “save” his mouth, to carry his head in a more or less constrained manner. As we can easily obtain the necessary control with the snaffle during breaking, it is evident that we should altogether dispense with the use of the curb during this process, so as to avoid the introduction of any disturbing element in the working out of the principle of using indications, rather than severity.

The thin, so-called, racing snaffle should not be used; as it is apt to wound the bars of the mouth, and thereby irritate the horse into shewing fight, which is the very thing we should seek to avoid while using the reins, of which, when we are in the saddle or driving seat, we are masters only on sufferance.

Elastic reins on dumb jockeys.—These contrivances should not be employed in breaking; for they never allow the complete freedom from pressure which the horse should experience as a reward for obedience, when he bends his neck and yields to the rein; unless, indeed, the elastic lines are ineffectually loose, or the animal draws in his head to an immoderate extent.

The standing martingale.—The use of this martingale is to prevent the horse from getting the mouth-piece off the bars, when he throws up his head. Hence, if we employ it lengthened out, so that it will be just short enough to accomplish this object, and no more (see Fig. 3), it will give us the immense advantage of having the mouth-piece always in an effective position, with but little drawback. I, here, suppose that it is attached to the rings of the snaffle and not to the nose-band. At first glance, it may be considered that this mechanical restraint would be a constant source of danger, in the event of the animal getting into difficulties. I have frequently heard it urged,—but only by men who had not seen its use practically demonstrated,—that if a horse, on making a “blunder” at a fence, could not extend his head more than the properly lengthened out martingale would allow him to do, he would, being thus deprived of this supposed means of recovering his equilibrium, run a great risk of falling. We may see the fallacy of this argument, if we consider that the only effect of this poking out of the head, is to endanger the equilibrium, which becomes unstable, the moment a perpendicular line drawn through the centre of gravity, falls beyond the fore-feet. We find, therefore, by observing the comparative tightness, before and after jumping, of the standing martingale, that the horse’s tendency, when fencing, is to bring his head back, on advancing the fore-limbs. If he adopts, with the martingale on, the other and unsafe course, the pain caused by the consequent severe pressure of the mouth-piece on the bars, will soon teach him to save his mouth by holding his head in a proper position. Besides the increased control obtained by the mouth-piece always remaining on the bars, the presence of the standing martingale, by stopping him from poking out his nose, will tend to prevent him going “uncollectedly” behind, and, even on this account alone, will be specially useful for the hunter, chaser, and polo pony. Whatever be the horse’s work, whether on the flat, across country, or in harness, he should be ridden or driven in a standing martingale, if he has the habit of trying to get the mouth-piece off the bars of the mouth, or has any tendency to go uncollectedly. Objection to its use can be taken, only, in the case of the ’cross-country horse, who will be much more liable to be brought to grief by the practice of either of the faults just mentioned, than by this martingale. When he has learnt to carry himself properly, but not till then, should its employment be discontinued. Its constant use quickly teaches the horse to hold his head and to carry himself in the desired style; for obedience to the indications it automatically affords, is at once rewarded by relief to the mouth. No such useful lesson can be learned by the employment of the running martingale; for, with it, no saving of the mouth is obtained by any yielding of the head and neck to the rein. When it is on, whatever relief is procured, must be the result of the action of the rider’s hands, which cannot possibly “give and take” with the same precision as the fixed martingale. I may mention, that this gear has the great advantage of preventing a rider with “bad hands,” from hauling on the reins when the mouth-piece is on the corners of the mouth. Hence, the worse the rider, the more need he has of using a standing martingale with a horse that requires one.

That good horseman, Mr. Blew of The Field, remarks to me that he has seen one or two falls result from the use of the standing martingale, in cases of horses, out hunting, getting their fore-feet into a deep “gripe,” and, then, being prevented by this gear, from throwing up the head, and, thus, relieving the fore-hand. He, consequently, advises that it should be employed, only, in breaking. Those fine steeplechase riders, Colonel Hickman of the 21st Hussars and Colonel Wardrop of the 12th Lancers, as well as many other good ’cross-country performers, consider, with me, that its addition renders horses requiring such restraint, safer over fences than they would be without it. Although the solution of this debatable question may be left to each man’s own individual feeling on the matter, there can be no doubt as to its paramount importance in breaking, which is the subject, at present, before us.

The statement may be advanced, that men with really fine hands will gain nothing from the employment of the standing martingale. I entirely dissent from this; for it is impossible for any man, however delicate his touch may be, or strong his arms, to prevent, as this martingale will do, the animal from getting his head up, and thereby successfully resisting control, for the time being. I may mention that many of our finest Irish riders are its devoted admirers.

When a horse pulls hard, he will, almost invariably, try to advance his chin further than the standing martingale—at a proper length, let it be understood—will allow him to do. Hence, this amount of restraint will always be a direct saving to the arms; while it will be taken off the mouth, and the controlling indication afforded, the moment the animal brings his head back into its natural position. I need hardly explain, that the horse being unable to bring forward the bars of the lower jaw, will try, when resisting the action of the standing martingale, to advance his poll as much as possible, by bending the joint connecting the lower jaw to the head, and that by which the head is attached to the neck.

If the standing martingale be fixed on to the nose-band, it will fail to act in the manner described; owing to the fact that the pressure thus exerted on the nose by this strap, causes little or no pain; unless, indeed, it be specially arranged to produce this effect, as in the way described on page 217.

Nose-bands.—The use of the nose-band is to prevent the horse relieving the bars of some of the pressure of the mouth-piece, by opening his mouth; an action on his part which will tend to render this pressure oblique, and to transfer a portion of it to his poll.