William Cavendish Quotations

These are excellent lessons to break him, and make him light in hand: but nothing puts a horse so much upon his haunches, and consequently makes him so light in hand, as my new method of the pillar.

Use gentle means before you come to extremity, and whatever lesson you work him, and never take above half his strength, nor ride him till he is weary, but a little at a time and often.

The horse's neck is between the two reins of the bridle, which both meet in the rider's hand.

Be always lavish of your caresses, and sparing in your corrections.

But my method of the pillar, as it throws the horse yet more upon the haunches, is still more effectual to this purpose, and besides always gives him the ply to the side he goes of.

By this way you may dress all sorts of horses in the utmost perfection, if you know how to practice it; a thing that is very easy in the hands of a master.

You must in all Airs follow the strength, spirit, and disposition of the horse, and do nothing against nature; for art is but to set nature in order, and nothing else.

But we ought to consider the natural form and shape of a horse, that we may work him according to nature.

You should pull him back besides in all the lines before the quarter, just as you make the others advance.

The main secret for a horse that is heavy upon the hand, is for the rider to have a very light one; for when he finds nothing to bear upon with his mouth, he infallibly throws himself upon the haunches for his own security.

But there is nothing to be done till a horse's head is settled.

Without knowing this, no man can dress a horse perfectly.

And he that said that a horse was not dressed, whose curb was not loose, said right; and it is equally true that the curb can never play, when in its right place, except the horse be upon his haunches.

Now being upon the haunches (as he necessarily must be in this case) is it impossible but he must be light in hand, because no horse can be rightly upon his haunches without being so.

You may observe in all my lessons, that I tell you how the legs go, and those who are unacquainted with that, are entirely ignorant and work in the dark.

No horse therefore is well dressed that is not light in hand; so that an easy and gentle bridle, but firm, is the chief secret to make a horse light.

But what for the generality I call a light or gentle hand, is at the same time as light as a feather, and yet firm, except in extraordinary cases.

I would have you fasten instead of holding it, the rein that comes back to your hand to the pommel of the saddle, because it has the greater force.