BREAKING
AND
RIDING
WITH MILITARY COMMENTARIES
JAMES FILUS
TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
3 9090 014 548 438
BREAKING AND RIDING
Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Qy^. Medicine at
Breaking and Riding
WITH MILITARY COMMENTARIES
JAMES FI LLIS
ECUYER EN CHEl" TO THE CENTRAL CaVALRV ScHOOL AT ST. PETERSBURG
Translated by
M. H. HAYES, F.R.C. V.S.
Author of "Points of the Horse," "Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners," "Riding and Hunting," k.c.
WITH SEVENTY ILLUSTRATIONS
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1902
All Riehts Rese}-ved
PRINTED BY KELLY'S DIRECTORIES LONDON AND KINGSTON
PREFACE.
In this book, I do not presume to discuss scientific subjects. I am simply a horseman who has been among horses for sixty years, who knows them, loves them, and is capable of reasoning about them.
The fundamental principle of the studies which I submit to the public is that it is necessary for a horse to be correctly balanced and light in forward movements and propulsion, in order that the rider may obtain the most powerful effects with the least exertion.
My method of equitation consists in distribution of weight by the height of the neck bent at the poll and not at the withers ; propulsion by means of the hocks being brought under the body ; and lightness by the loosening of the lower jaw. When we know this, we know everything, and we know^ nothing. We know everything, because these principles are of universal application ; and we know nothing, because they have to be applied practically.
Practice cannot be taught in a book ; but I will try to set forth principles. Probably, I would not have had the bold- ness to do this, had not one of my pupils entreated me to write this book ; because he had been greatly struck with
viii PREFACE.
the aptness of the explanation which I gave him respecting the details of the breaking lessons.
In judging this work, I trust that my readers will give it the attention it deserves, as the result of sixty years' serious study and hard practical work.
I crave the indulgence of the public, and the impartiality of my reviewers.
JAMES FILLIS.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
Mr. Fill is, at whose request I have had the pleasure of translating his Principes de Dressage et d^ Equitation, is acknowledged throughout Europe as the greatest high school rider of all time. In fact, he has had the honour of giving private riding exhibitions before The Emperor and Empress of Germany, The Tsar, President Carnot, The Queen of Belgium, The King and Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Emperor of Austria, all of whom have accorded him special marks of their appreciation of his unrivalled ability.
Having fortunately had many opportunities of seeing Mr. Fillis ride both in Germany and at the St. Petersburg Cavalry Riding School, where he is Eaiyer en chef, I can full}' endorse the correctness of the good opinion held about him by his most enthusiastic admirers.
A school rider obtains control and guidance by the com- bined action of hands and legs ; but an ordinary horseman depends almost entirely on the reins for collecting and directing his mount, and consequently his power over the animal is insufficient for military and polo requirements. With extremely few exceptions, school riders abuse their power, and sacrifice freedom of movement to exaggerated
X TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
control, with the, result, in many cases, of getting their animals behind their bits and straining their hocks. Such men ride in a mechanical manner, which is inelegant in a school or circus, and is entirely unsuited for work in the open. Mr. Fillis, on the contrary, acting on his motto " e7i avant " (forward), has succeeded in showing how a horse can be made clever in his movements, without in any way diminishing his usefulness on the road or over a country. I therefore trust that all English-speaking horsemen, and especially cavalrymen and polo players, will profit by the valuable instruction which he now puts before them.
M. H. HAYES.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface vii
Translator's Preface ix
CHAPTER I. HORSE AND MAN.
The Horse — Feeding — Intelligence of the Horse — Influence of a Alan's expression of face on a Horse — Influence of the Human Voice on a Horse — Making much of a ttorse— Punishment — Bitting — Martin- gale — Saddle — Stirrups — Cutting Whip — Spurs — Man's Seat — Lady's Seat . . . . . . . . . . . i to 31
CHAPTER H. ORDINARY RIDING.
Lunging a Horse — Close work, advancing — Collecting a Horse and direct Flexion — Objects to be obtained by direct Flexion — Making a Horse quiet to mount — How to hold the Reins — Teaching a Horse by the Whip to obey legs and spurs — Horse mounted, first Defences, means for overcoming them — The Walk — To halt and stand still — Changes of Direction — Lateral flexions — Objects of Lateral flexions — Rotation of the Croup and Shoulders — School Walk — The rein back — The ramenei-, collection, rassembler, and equestrian tact — Side steps and two tracks — The trot — The canter — Voltes and demi voltes at the canter- — Changes of leg — The Hack 32 to 183
CHAPTER ni. HORSES WITH VICES.
Nervous Horses — Horses which throw their heads about— Horses which
run away . . . . . . . - . . 184 to 194
JUMPING
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
195 to 205
FLAT RACING
CHAPTER V.
206 to 209
THE HUNTER
CHAPTER VI.
210 to 212
THE ARMY HORSE
CHAPTER VII.
213 to 235
CHAPTER VIII. HIGH-SCHOOL RIDING.
The Spanish walk — Reversed pirouettes on three legs— Reversed and ordinary pirouettes with the feet crossed — Reining back without reins — Rocking the forehand — Rocking the haunches — Spanish trot — Shoulder-in at the canter — Pirouettes at the canter^ — Changes of leg at each stride — Changes of leg without gaining ground — Piaffers and passages — Differences between the passage and Spanish trot — Serpentine at the Trot — Canter on three legs — Passage to the rear — See-saw piaffer — Canter without gaining ground and canter to the rear — New school movements — School horse for ladies . . 236 to 331
CHAPTER IX.
COMMENTARIES ON BAUCHER
332 to 344
CHAPTER X.
TESTS OF HORSEMANSHIP
• 345 t^' 347
CHAPTER XL
WITH BELGIAN OFFICERS
348 to 356
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FIG. I.
2.
3-
4-
5- 6.
7- 8.
9-
lO.
II.
12.
13-
14.
15- 16.
17- 18.
19. 20.
Leading a horse forward .....
Jaw contracted ......
Jaw and bit free ......
Going forward when mobihsing the lower jaw, so
prevent the horse getting behind his bit Muzzle on a line with upper part of shoulder Correct preparation for direct flexion Preparation for Baucher's direct flexion Incorrect and frequently employed flexion Lowering the head — a faulty practice
jj 53 jj • •
Direct flexion when going forward . Baucher's flexion when mounted Correct flexion when mounted .... Exaggerated example of Baucher's incorrect flexion Proper way to mount Equal tension on all four reins Action of the curb . Action of the snaffle Action of the off curb rein Action of the near curb rein
as to
PAGE
41 45 47
49 51 55 55 57 57 59 59 (>Z 64
65 67
71 71 71 73 73
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
21. Separating the curb and snaffle reins 2 2. Passing the right hand between the off curb rein and off snaffle rein ......
23. Closing the hand on the off curb and off snaffle rein
24. Separating the reins
25. Doubler .....
26. Volte
27. Demi-volte ....
28. Diagonal change of hand
29. Reversed change of hand
30. Counter-change of hand
31. Preparation for lateral flexion ; jaw contracted
32. Lateral flexion ; jaw relaxed 2iZ- Correct lateral flexion
34. Incorrect lateral flexion
35. Correct lateral flexion when mounted
36. Baucher's lateral flexion when mounted
37. Incorrect lateral flexion
38. Lateral effects in rotation of crop and shoulders
39. Direct effects ,, ,, „
40. Diagonal „ „
41. On " two tracks " at the school walk, from right to left
42. „ „ „ „ left to right
43. First time of the canter ; near hind support
44. Second time of the canter ; left diagonal in support
45. Third time of the canter ; off fore in support
46. Clearing a fence .......
47. Horse raising his forehand a good deal when jumping
PAGE
73
75 75 75 90
91 92
93 94 95 97 99
lOI
103
105 106 107 108 109 no
T4I 143
160
161
162
199
200
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
48. Horse raising his croup when clearing a fence
49. Horse and rider being drowned
50. Rider making his horse swim according to
Filhs' method
51. Spanish trot
52- „ „ ■'
53. Shoulder-in at the canter
54- )» >) )j
55" '» " )'
56. Passage ; right diagonal in the air .
57- „ ; left
58. „ on " two tracks "
59' j» )j )) • •
60. Piaffer ......
61. ,,
62. Teaching the piaffer by means of a cuttin
63. Cantering to the left on three legs ,
64. „ „ right
65. Half-rear
66. See-saw piaffer
67. „ „ . .
68. Cantering to the rear
69. „ „ right on three legs to the rear
whip
Mr.
James
PAGE
201
231
232
253 255 263 265
267
277 279 283 285
289
291
299 307 309 311 315 317 323 327 329
BREAKING AND RIDING.
CHAPTER I.
HORSE AND MAN.
The Horse — Feeding — Intelligence of the Horse — Influence of a Man's expres- sion of face on a Horse — Influence of the Human Voice on a Horse — Making much of a Horse — Punishment — Bitting — Martingale — Saddle — Stirrups — Cutting Whip — Spurs — Man's Seat — Lady's Seat.
THE HORSE.
Although I break in only thorough-breds for my own use ; I in no way assume that three-quarter or half-breds cannot be good riding horses. I do not care for very big animals, and prefer those about 15.2, or, say from 15.1 to 15.3. When examining a horse, I at first take a general view of him at a distance of a few yards. If the first impression is pleasing, I go over his various points in detail, with a fairly liberal spirit, as regards trifling faults ; but if it is not favourable, I become all the more critical. In any case, it is hopeless to expect perfec- tion. In this first general examination, we should be particularly careful to see how he moves at the walk, trot and canter, both when led and ridden.
Some horses appear badly shaped when standing still ; but become good-looking, light and active as soon as they begin to move. Others, which seem almost perfect in repose, are heavy and awkward in their paces. I prefer the former to the latter, because they can utilise what they have got.
I
2 HORSE AND MAN.
I like a handsome head, long and light neck, prominent withers, short and strong back and loins, long croup, long and oblique shoulders, close coupling between the point of the hip and the last rib, hocks well let down, short canon bones, long fore arms, and the pasterns fairly long. These desirable points are rarely found in one animal. A horse should be close to the ground, which he will be when the distance from the brisket to the ground will be equal to that from the withers to the brisket. A horse which is high off the ground is generally clumsy in his movements, and liable to stumble.
I would have nothing to do with a horse whose fetlock and pastern joints are stiff, because he would be deficient in elas- ticity, would drag his feet, and would consequently be liable to trip.
I take particular care to see that the heels are not con- tracted. In order to prevent my horses acquiring this defect, I do not have them shod when they work on soft ground, in which case the heels remain well apart, on account of the frog being subjected to pressure. I always have my horses shod with tips, the ends of which are imbedded into the wall at the heels ; and I thus prevent them having their heels con- tracted and their feet becoming diseased.
Horses are like men ; having obtained physical perfection in them, we further require good temper and courage.
The highest mental qualification of a horse is to be a free- goer ; because such an animal, contrary to what is often thought, is neither irritable nor sulky. I will again refer to this point. At present I confine myself to stating that such a horse is valuable, even if his make and shape are only moderate. If an animal has not the essential requirement of being always ready to go forward, he is useless, although he may be a perfect picture to look at.
I like to begin breaking a horse when he is two off and not more than three years old, and to buy if possible in or near
THE HORSE. 3
Septembar, at which time the animal would be about two and a-half years old. At that age he would have done little or no work, and would consequently be sound. Besides, it is easy to get such horses, because there are a large number of young thorough-breds which are capable of becoming mar- vellously good horses for riding-school purposes and other work, although they might be of no use on a race-course. Also, for many other reasons, we can get a large choice of thorough-breds at that age.
I never buy mares, because they often become peevish, especially when touched with the spurs. I always have my horses " added to the list," because thorough-bred entires are greatly inclined to rush at every animal they meet, which is a habit that is not pleasant for their riders, and they are always ready to get on their hind legs. Besides, many of the horses which I break are required for ladies, who should never be allowed to ride a rearer. These objections do not generally apply to Arab and Trakene (German) entires, which live with mares and pay little or no attention to them. In course of time the thorough-bred entire gets heavy in front and be- comes poor behind. A riding horse should, on the contrary, have his hind quarters well developed and his forehand light. Thorough-bred stallions which are used for stud purposes preserve their proper proportions, although they get very fat. Everyone knows that a gelding is much more quiet than an entire.
After the hot weather, I send my young horses to be cas- trated at the Veterinary College of Alfort, where they remain a fortnight, and afterwards I turn them out to grass for three months and a-half at a place where they are properly looked after. I do not put even a saddle on their backs during these four months, after which I begin their education in the quietest manner possible.
When I have taught them to go collectedly when walking,
I*
4 HORSE AND MAN.
trotting, cantering, turning, reining back, and moving from one side to the other for a few steps, I begin to take them out- side, and they will then need only a few days to make* them pleasant to ride in the open. In this way, I first of all make them into hacks. During the following two or three months I repeat, in the open air, the work which my horses have learned in the school, so as to make them light and supple in their natural paces. Thus, from September to the end of December, nothing but care and repose ; from January to March, breaking in the school ; from April to June, confirma- tion, outside, of the work learned during the preceding months. In Jul}^ I send my horses for their holiday to grass, leave them loose in the fields, and give them oats.
In August I resume work in the open, and as the animals have rested and got strong, I begin at the same time high school riding. My horses being handy, light and well balanced, their progress is rapid, and I generally finish their school training towards the end of December, with a limit of two or three months one way or the other, according to the difficulties which I have to overcome and the extent of the instruction. I then give them another holiday of a fortnight and immediately after that I take them out hunting if pos- sible. I do not consider their education complete until I have tested them in all these wa)-s.
In this manner I obtain an excellent hack for spring and summer, a hard}' hunter for autumn, and a pleasant school horse for winter.
FEEDING.
I feed my horses liberally, especially as regards oats, of which I giv^e them lo quarterns a day. This makes them lively, but not more so than I wish. I give them only a small quantity of oats in the morning, so as not to overload their stomachs ; but I allow them all they can eat in the evening,
INTELLIGENCE OF THE HORSE. 5
which is their time of rest. Not being disturbed, they eat slowly and thoroughly chew their food, which on that account becomes properly digested.
I give one-and-a-half quarterns in the morning, three-and-a- half at noon, and five in the evening. The morning oats is given at least two hours before work, so that the stomach of the animal may be empty at that time. For the same object I rack him up, so that he may not eat his bedding. Half an hour after work I give each horse 2 or 3 lbs. of hay ; at noon three-quarters of a bucket of water ; and after that, oats. At four o'clock in the afternoon, each horse gets a bundle of straw as bedding ; at five o'clock. 2 or 3 lbs. of hay ; and finally, at seven o'clock in the evening, the same quantity of water as at noon, and the evening ration of oats, instead of which I give, twice a week, a bran mash.
INTELLIGENCE OF THE HORSE.
The great difficulty in breaking is to make the horse under- stand what we want him to do, which is no easy matter, because a horse, contrary to what many think, has only a small supply of intelligence. His only well-developed mental quality is his memory, which is particularly acute, and should there- fore be specially utilised.
A horse is incapable of affection for man : he possesses only habits, which he often acquires far too easily, and frequently sticks to them with too much persistence, a fact we should always bear in mind. On this subject I have made hundreds of experiments. For instance, one of my friends had a horse which went to him when he called him, neighed when he entered the stable, etc. He averred that this animal was par- ticularly attached to him, and that the horse would pine away if he left him. Having learned all about the habits of the horse from the owner, I begged him to lend me the animal, which I took to my stable, where I treated him exactly as he
6 HORSE AND MAN.
had been treated in his own stable. On the following day I worked him during periods of time similar to those his owner had adojDted ; I gave him carrots according to established custom ; I imitated the voice of his master ; and brought him his food at the accustomed times. On the following day I re-assumed my natural tone of voice, and in forty-eight hours the animal made similar manifestations of affection to me as he had done to his master, whose loss he did not appear to feel in the slightest degree.
After the morning lesson I give a large quantity of carrots to my horses, who neigh the moment I speak to them on entering the stable. If a stranger accompanies me on these occasions, he will always tell me that the animals recognise me and love me, which is a mistake ; because if another person takes my place in distributing the carrots at the usual hour, the horses will not notice my absence. This can easily be proved by the fact that if I go into the stable a few minutes after they have finished eating, the}' will not take the slightest notice of my arrival. I could give a hundred other instances of the in- difference of horses towards those who tend them or ride them. This is not a matter of regret ; for if horses were differently constituted, the)^ ^\•ould be willing to obey only one master.
INFLUENCE OF A MAN'S EXFRESSION OF FACE ON A HORSE.
Despite many arguments to the contrar)-, I am thoroughly convinced that the human expression of face has no influence on a horse, who pays no attention to one's look, whether it is hard, angry, soft or caressing. I have proved this fact by many experiments on young and old animals ; and I can certify that if a person who is looking at a horse works only the muscles of his face, without moving his body or limbs, the animal will not take the slightest notice of the changes of expression.
INFLUENCE OF THE HUMAN VOICE. 7
I have scores of times tried the eftect of giving a horse an angry look and of smiling on him without any result whatsoever. If you make the most horrible grimaces at }"our horses or stick your tongue out at them, }-ou will find that they will take absolutely no notice of such a proceeding, but they will be quick to perceive any movement of the body, and especially of the hand.
INFLUENCE OF THE PIUMAN VOICE ON A HORSE.
The human voice has a great influence on a horse, but of course it is only the tone which he remembers. The sweetest words, repeated in a short, high tone, will frighten him, and the most horrible threats, uttered in a soft voice, will soothe him. The voice is the most useful help for breaking a horse " at liberty," in which case he is turned loose in a riding school, circus, or other suitable enclosure. Thus, to teach a horse at liberty to move forward at a walk, trot or canter, one says : " walk," in a comparatively weak voice ; " trot," in a higher voice ; and " canter ! " in a tone of command. You may say " canter " in a soft voice, and the horse will remain at the walk ; but if you say " walk ! " in a high tone, the animal will immediately strike off into the canter.
The voice is also of great use when breaking a horse which one is riding. For instance, if my mount kicks, rears, or plays up in any other way, I correct him with whip or spurs, and speak to him, at the same time, in a tone of reproof, and he thus soon becomes attentive to my voice. If he makes a mistake, or tries on a " defence," it will generally be enough for me to raise my voice, which, by reminding him of the previous punishment, will make him quiet. B}- acting in this manner, I save him from fresh punishment.
The voice can be used not only for correction, but also to encourage and quieten a horse, in which case a pat on the neck of the horse will help to aid its good effect.
8 HORSE AND MAN.
Its action is all the more useful because it can be employed in all cases with a varied choice of tone. A rider cannot, on the contrary, always bring his hands and legs into play.
Let us suppose that a hot-headed, impetuous horse which one is riding, gets startled and becomes maddened in a place where there are several carriages, and that one cannot get him out and steady him by means of the reins and legs. The voice, however, will calm him down, if he has been trained to obey it.
The effect of the voice has often been a great help to me, and has brought me out of many a difficulty.
I like impetuous horses, and I rarely use any others. I make them sufficiently quiet to carry ladies ; but I never employ them for this purpose until I am certain that my voice will soothe them when they are excited. I have avoided accidents by always acting in this manner.
MAKING MUCPI OF A HORSE.
The good effect of " making much " of a horse should not be neglected, as we shall see further on. The education of the horse is based on the principles of reward and punishment. Making much of a horse gives him con- fidence, by placing the rider in direct contact with him otherwise than by impulsion.
All horses, even the most impatient, accept a pat on the neck, which is therefore the place the rider should caress. The pats on the neck should be given forcibly enough to attract the attention of the horse, but without hurting the animal. We should avoid touching him too lightly, which might only have the effect of tickling him.
A pat on the neck should be given at an appropriate time, that is to say, immediately after an act of obedience on the part of the horse, in the same manner as punishment should
PUNISHMENT. 9
promptly follow disobedience. The moment he yields, give him his proper reward by patting him on the neck and slackening the reins, which will greatly facilitate the process of breaking. To obtain its full effect, a pat on the neck should be accompanied by the voice. A combination of these two soothing means will produce the best possible effect and, as a rule, will accomplish its object.
PUNISHMENT.
The education of a horse, as I have already said, depends entirely on the manner in which the rider applies the principles of reward and punishment ; the appropriate appli- cation of the latter being even more essential to success than that of the former. Above all things, the rider of a difficult horse should never lose his temper. When a horse deserves punishment, he should get it with an amount of severity which might be regarded as the outcome of anger, but which should be proportionate to the offence. In fact, we should treat horses as we do children. We all know that nothing is worse than to punish a child when we are in a rage. A horse can in no case understand the feeling which prompts a man to punish him, and he will remember only the pain he has suffered and the occasion on which it was inflicted. His intelligence enables him to connect his action with the punishment it provoked ; but it does not allow him to go further than that. On this account, if punishment is not administered at the precise moment the fault is com- mitted, it will lose all its good effect, and will be an element of confusion in the memory of the animal. For instance, if a horse which kicks receives punishment when his hind legs are off the ground, he will remember that he got hurt for kicking. If, on the contrary, the punishment is received after his hind legs have come down, he will be unable to connect in his mind the ideas of these two acts ; in fact, the
lo HORSE AND MAN.
probability is that he will tr}', by a fresh kick, to get rid of the person who is hitting him.
I have said that every deliberate act of disobedience com- mitted by a horse should be punished ; but I do not hesitate to add that it is better not to punish him than to do it too late. Both are bad, but it is necessary to choose the lesser of the two evils.
It is also important to find out what is the motive which has caused a horse either to wilfully disobey or to act on the defensive ; in other words, to find out whether he is vicious or in pain. Thus, if a horse kicks because his loins or hocks are painful, we would not be justified in punishing him, and should do everything to relieve his suffering. But if the kicking is a vice, we ought to severely correct him the moment it is practised, and, to prevent it, we should forcibly raise his head and neck in order to put the weight on his hind quarters.
BITTING.
I have nothing particular to say about the snafifie, except that it ought to be rather thick, so as to reduce its severity, and that it should be placed at about an equal distance from the bit and the corners of the mouth.
The form of a curb bit and the position it is placed in the mouth are points of great importance. It is impossible to decide at first glance what kind of curb will suit a young horse best, and what position it should occupy in his mouth. Baucher says that he would use the same kind of bit for all kinds of horses, which statement is the consequence of his pet theory that all horses have the same kind of mouth. I will discuss this theory further on, and I will here content myself with saying that even the most inexperienced horseman will state that horses go better in one bit than in another, and that certain animals will go kindly in a snaffle, but will resent
BITTING. II
the use of a rather severe curb. This is a generally acceisted fact \\hich has been amply pro\ed. W'c can find the best curb for a horse only by trial. But there are ahva)"s certain general principles to help us in making our experiments, which we may sum up as follows :
The curb which is used at the beginning of the breaking should have a thick mouth-piece, low port, and short cheek- pieces, so that it may be eas}' to the mouth. Its width should be proportionate to that of the mouth of the horse. If it is too narrow, the lips will be compressed by the cheek- pieces. If it is too wide, the horse, either in pla}' or to relieve the bars of his mouth from pressure, will bring it too much over on one side of his mouth, so that a part of the port will rest on one of the bars, and consequently the mouth-piece will exert an uneven pressiu'e, which \\ill almost alwa}'s cause the horse to carry his head sideways.
In order that the curb may fit properly, it should be wide enough for the cheeks to keep clear of the lips on each side. The mouth-piece should have an even feeling on both sides of the mouth, and should be mid-way between the tushes and the corners of the lips, and consequently it will be lower in the mouth than the snaffle in the case of a double bridle. Later on I shall point out some exceptions to this rule. The lower ends of the cheek-pieces, yielding to the pull of the reins, cause the upper ends to revolve forward, and thus to produce pressure on the bars of the mouth. The curb-chain, which prevents the upper ends of the cheeks from revolving forward, increases the pressure on the bars proportionately to its shortness. Hence, the length of the curb-chain should be proportionate to the lightness of the horse's mouth, which we are unable to estimate in the case of a perfectl)' "green " horse. With such an animal, we should at first leave the curb-chain very loose, as there will alwa}'s be time to take it up. It would not, on the contrar}', be right to say that there
12 HORSE AND MAN.
is always time to slacken a tight curb-chain, which causes pain that will continue to be felt by the horse after the curb- chain has been let out. If, however, We begin with a loose curb-chain, and gradually shorten it to the desired extent, we shall avoid hurting the bars of the mouth and irritating the horse to resistance, and we gain time. But if, at the begin- ning of the work, we hurt or even irritate the bars by undue pressure, we shall fail to obtain any of the required indica- tions. By artificially increasing the sensitiveness of the bars, we fail to estimate it correctly, and work on a wrong method from the beginning. The bruising or even the mere irritation of the bars does not disappear as soon as the work is finished and the bridle taken off, but continues for a more or less long period. Consequently, when the next lesson is given, the bars are congested and painful. The rider will then be apt to form an opinion of the effects he produces on the mouth of the horse without taking into consideration that it is in an abnormal condition, and he will increase the evil which has been done, and he will become more and more unable to correctly estimate what is the natural condition of the mouth. In a word, he will do the very things he ought not to do. From the foregoing observations we can see that, at the beginning of the breaking, the curb-chain should be loose. In fact, it is better to take it off.
The knowledge of the mouth of a "green" horse is an important and delicate matter. In order" to gently feel the mouth without spoiling it, we must begin with great lightness of hand, and gradually increase the pressure up to the point of making the horse feel it, which sensitiveness varies in degree according to the animal. If a horse yields to the light pressure of a curb which has no curb-chain, of what use is the curb-chain, and what is the good of seeking for a more power- ful means of restraint ?
I have thoroughly broken horses, not only for the manege.
MARTINGALE. 13
but also for outdoor work, without using a curb-chain, which may remain hooked up on one of the curb-hooks, so that it ma)^ be instantly used in case of need. As a rule, it should not be employed unless the rider finds that he needs its help. When he uses it, he should never put more tension on it than is actualh' required ; the proper maximum being when the curb-chain is tightened up, so that it makes an angle of 45^ with the lower jaw.
As the tension of the curb-chain should be proportionate of the sensitiveness of the bars, so should the pressure caused by the pull of the reins be proportionate to the resistance. If this resistance is slight, the effort to overcome it should be light, and the point of its application should be high up on the jaw. If the resistance is great, the effort should be energetic, and it should be applied low down. Therefore, without greatly altering the middle position which the mouth-piece should occupy between the tushes and the corners of the lips, we may raise or lower the mouth-piece so that the horse may yield his jaw by, respectively, a light feeling of the reins, or by a strong pull on them. In other words, the softer the mouth is, the higher should be the mouth-piece ; and the harder, the lower should it be placed. In no case, however, should it press on, or even touch, the corners of the lips or the tushes.
We learn from the foregoing remarks that the proper tension of the curb-chain and the right position of the mouth- piece in the mouth of a young horse can be found only from experience, which should be gained from very slight effects that can be gradually increased in severity as the case may demand.
MARTINGALE.
The martingale prevents a horse from star-gazing and throwing up his head, and helps the rider to guide him. If a
14 HORSE AND MAN.
horse is well broken he will not require its use. I would recommend its employment only when the teacher has not time or knowledge to properly break in a horse. It would be well to put it on a horse which we are going to ride for the first time, whether for hacking or for hunting, if we had reason to think that he threw his head about or carried it too high.
There are three kinds of martingales, namely, the standing or fixed martingale buckled on to the nose-band, the running martingale, and the standing martingale buckled on to the rings of the snaffle. The first is the only one I would recommend, because it produces its effect on the animal's nose and not on his mouth, and, being unconnected with the rider's hands, its use is consequently free from danger. It ought to be long enough to allow the horse to carry his head high, and short enough to prevent him bringing his nose in a horizontal position, in which case the curb, by revolving from below upwards, would produce no effect on the mouth. If the martingale is too short, it will interfere with the move- ments of the horse, and can then become dangerous, especially if he does not go freely forward ; because when it is fixed in this manner, he will draw his chin in towards his breast so as to escape from its action.
The running martingale has two rings, through which pass the reins of the snaffle, and occasionally those of the curb, which is a very dangerous arrangement. It is therefore connected with the hands of the rider and the mouth of the horse. It may be of great service to experienced riders, but on account of the strong effect which can be produced \\'ith it, it is particularly dangerous for other people.
The martingale which buckles on to the rings of the snaffle, being unyielding, is always dangerous, particularly if the horse runs back ; because, in this case, it will continue to pull ow his mouth. If he rears, which he \\\\\ have a ten-
SADDLE. 15
dency to do, in order to escape from the pressure of the mouth-piece, this martingale will be liable to make him fall backwards.
SADDLE.
I would not advise the use of a new saddle, which rarely gives satisfaction to the rider. New leather is hard and stiff, and consequently the seat of the saddle will not be com- fortable. It is best to try several second-hand saddles, one of which is certain to give satisfaction.
The seat of a saddle ought to be fairly straight. If it is too high at the pommel the rider will be thrown back, and if it is too high at the cantle he will be thrown for- ward. I am also of opinion that a saddle should have very little stuffing, so that the rider may get close to his horse.
The length of the flaps should be proportionate to that of the thighs of the rider. If they are too short, the rider might hurt the calves of his legs. If too long, he will not be able to feel the sides of the horse with his legs. The rider can please himself as regards plain flaps or knee rolls, which are a matter of habit and firmness of seat. I believe I was the first to use a plain flap saddle for high school riding.
I always begin with a pupil by putting him on a French saddle in preference to an English one, as he is able to get better into it, and is consequently more at his ease. After the beginner acquires a firm seat in a French saddle, I put him in an English saddle covered with doeskin, and when he is able to trot, canter and turn without rolling about, I give him a plain English saddle to ride on.
STIRRUPS. I never allow a pupil to use stirrups until he has acquired a good seat at all paces, and in this respect I follow the
i6 HORSE AND MAN.
example of all the old riding masters, French and foreign. We must admit that formerly riders had quite a different seat to those of the present time. Stiffness has replaced the pliability, ease and grace of the olden time, because pupils have fallen into bad habits from the commencement of their instruction, either from want of comprehension or on account of being badly taught.
Not only the premature, but also the excessive use of the stn-rups has other faults. I am of opinion that the great majority of dangerous falls are caused by their abuse. For
example, Mr. X is run away with b}' his horse in the
Forest of Saint-Germain ; he sits well down into the saddle, succeeds in stopping the animal, and starts into a trot on his stirrups ; unfortunately, a stirrup leather breaks at this
moment, and Mr. X falls on his head and is killed. Every
horseman knows that the breaking of a stirrup leather can cause a rider to fall on his head, only because the man had put all his weight on the stirrups, and was consequently more or less out of the saddle. If he was not bearing his weight on the stirrups he might, no doubt, roll off, but the severity of the fall would be more or less broken by the fact that the knees would be gripping the flaps of the saddle. I would go further and say that if a rider did not depend on his stirrups, he would hardly ever fall off on account of a stirrup leather breaking.
Let us take another example. Mr. Z , at Toulouse,
rides out of his stable at a walk ; his horse falls, and
Mr. Z is thrown forward on to his head and is killed.
We need no knowledge of riding to understand that if he had been sitting in his saddle he could not have been thrown forward with such violence. I hasten to add that I recall these two well-remembered accidents, not in a spirit of criticism, but in order to explain the sad consequences which may arise from the abuse of the stirrups, and in the hope
STIRRUPS. 17
that my modest advice may render such accidents rare in the future.
Standing on the stirrups is Hke standing on a spring-board, in which case, if any violent movement is produced by the horse, the rider is Hable to be shot forward as if from a cata- pult, and ah^'ays on to his head. Even when the horse plunges forward, the rider will be rareh' unseated if he is sitting well into the saddle, with the weight resting on his seat. Then the worst thing that can happen to him is to be shifted on to the horse's neck, in which case he will fall softly ; but if he is bearing his weight on the stirrups, with his legs straight, nothing will be easier for the horse than to send him between his ears. When the rider adopts this faulty position, his body is carried forward, and the horse is able to plunge as he likes, on account of the weight being taken off his loins.
The rider who stands on his stirrups is in the position of a gymnast standing on the hands of a comrade, whose business is to give him the necessary propulsion for making a dangerous leap. In order for him to be projected very far, it is necessary for him to keep his body and legs straight, but if he bends his knees he cannot go far. The stirrups play a role similar to that of the hands of the gymnast who is ready to give the propulsion. Hence, if the rider bends his knees he will remain in the saddle.
We should bear in mind that if the pupil, before his legs have got well down, is allowed to use the stirrups, he will not be able to keep his feet in them. He will then make all sorts of contortions in order to retain them, in which case, not onh' the muscles of the legs, but also those of the body and face, will become contracted, and the neck and the shoulders will assume a characteristic form of stiffness.
Notwithstanding all the care which the teacher ma}^ take later on to correct these faults, tlie pupil very rarely succeeds
2
i8 HORSE AND MAN.
in getting rid of them ; because it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to leave off a bad habit.
CUTTING WHIP.
I use the cutting whip only in work on foot, in order to leach the horse to go forward, and to give way to the spur, but I discard it the moment I mount. True horsemen require legs and hands ; incompetent riders need a whip.
SPURS.
The box spur is the only spur of which I approve, because it remains fixed in its place, and it can therefore be applied with precision. All the other kinds are liable to become displaced, either up or down, so that one is never certain of touching the horse on the spot one wishes.
We ought to use dummy spurs (spurs with round heads), if they are sufficient for our purpose, and we can replace them by spurs with very blunt rowels, the sharpness of which should be increased only when necessary as, for example, when the horse does not answer to their touch.
Without trying them, it is difficult to find out the proper length for the neck of the spurs, which should be short, if the legs of the rider are short ; because, in this case, his heels will always remain close to the animal's sides. If the rider has long legs, he will be obliged to raise his heels when he wants to use the spurs, which should have proportionately long necks, so that he may have to shorten his legs as little as possible.
man's seat.
As a rule, every one can acquire a good and strong seat, but every one cannot become a fine and graceful horseman.
A pupil who has been well taught from the beginning, has done his best to learn, has trotted without stirrups for several
MAN'S SEAT. 19
months, has ridden horses that were Hvely and difficult, with- out being dangerous, will of necessity acquire a firm seat. He will hold his head in a free and unconstrained position, so that he can move it with ease in every direction. He will keep it high in all ordinary paces and when jumping, and will lower it a little, with the chin towards the breast, when going fast. His eyes should preserve their mobility, and should not become fixed in any one direction, so that they may take notice of all the inequalities of ground, fences and other diffi- culties which the horse may meet. He should keep his neck supple, and his shoulders down and without contracting them, as is often done. His arms should hang naturally down to the elbows, which should be kept close to the sides, and should on no account be turned outwards ; for the hands cannot be kept light if the elbows are in this position. Lightness of hand is absolutely necessary for using the reins with precision and without jerking them. With the elbows firmly fixed to the sides, it is easy to prevent the hands from moving about.
A rider who has a good seat will keep his elbows at the height of his waist, the insides of the wrists facing each other and the fingers turned inwards. He should avoid rounding the wrists, which would tend to bring the elbows away from the sides, and would prevent him having a straight line of communication with the horse's mouth. The action of the bit on the mouth of the horse should be produced only by the tightening and slackening of the fingers on the reins. A rider who works his hands a good deal, does not know how to use them ; but a man with good hands produces the necessary effect by a simple movement of the wrist and fingers.
The rider ought to keep his body upright, but without any stiffiiess, which prevents the independent action of the " aids " (hands and legs). Stiffness in one part produces muscular contraction of the whole body, which is a condition entirely
20 HORSE AND MAN.
opposed to good horsemanship. He should in no case hollow out the back, because that will produce stiffness which is the thing we should avoid. The loins (not the shoulders), on the contrary, should be slightly rounded, so as to preserve their elasticity. The chest should be kept in a natural position, without being pressed out in an}- wa\% and the muscles of the pelvis relaxed, which is the only means of obtaining ease.
The weight of the upper part of the body should be carried b)' the buttocks, which are its only proper support. The legs should be stretched well down, the thighs flat, the knees close to the flaps of the saddle, and the toes turned slightly out- wards, so that the horse may feel the leg before he is touched with the spur. When the toes are turned too much inwards, the calves of the legs will be forced outwards, and then the rider will be able to use the spurs only by prods.
The fact of the knees forming a kind of fixed pivot will give great mobilit}^ to the lower portion of the legs, which should fall naturall}' from the knees, and should not be kept close to the animal's sides. In order for the rider to be at his ease, he should sit well down in the saddle, without hanging on by his hands or gripping by his knees, which should grip only when occasion demands. B)^ alwa}'s gripping with the knees, the rider is made to assume a cramped position on horseback. On the contrary, the seat should be maintained by balance and not b}' gi'ip. When we use the leg, we should use it from the knee to the heel. Fatigue of the muscles above the knee is caused b)' stiffness and is a sign that the seat is bad.
The rider will also appear cramped if his knees are too high, if too low he will rest not on his buttocks, but on the inner part of his thighs, which fact will increase the firm- ness of his seat, because the entire len^'th of the le""s will be applied to the horse. This seat can be used with advantage by cavalry when charging, onl)' at the moment of meeting
MAN'S SEAT. 21
the enemy, because it helps them to avoid being displaced by the shock. With this seat, it is difficult to keep close to the horse when he changes from the canter to the trot. In con- clusion, I may point out that a rider who has a good seat sits on a saddle in the same manner as he would do on a chair.
When the rider uses stirrups, his toes ought to be higher than his heels. Without stirrups, the feet ought to fall naturally, and consequently the toes will be lower than the heels. We may see that with the feet out of the stirrups, it is impossible to keep the toes up without contracting (stiffening) the muscles of the legs. In Germany, pupils are taught to keep the toes higher than the heels, when riding without stirrups, which practice gives German horsemen their characteristic stiffness. I am aware that Germans are naturally stiff Even a Frenchman made to ride in that manner would become stiff.
The length of the stirrups should be proportionate to that of the legs. The traditional plan of measuring the length of the stirrups by that of the arm, affords a useful approxima- tion which one has always to rectify when mounted. To do this, it is necessary to take the feet out of the stirrups and to leave the legs hanging down. Then the stirrup leathers will be the correct length when the " tread " of the iron comes just below the ankle joint. It is generally recommended to keep the foot in contact with the internal side of the stirrup iron. I place my foot at an equal distance from both sides of the iron. We can give great suppleness to the ankle jcnnts by working them in various directions, and can then let go or pick up the irons very easily. In the open I ride with the leathers one hole shorter than in the school, and then obtain a better support in quick paces, especially when rising at the trot. In the manege one requires to have the legs lower down than in the open, so as to get the legs round the horse, and it is also necessary to be entirely on the buttocks, in
22 HORSE AND MAN.-
order to catch each movement of the horse. We all know that this feeling can be acquired only b\' long training.
Many physical qualities are necessar}- for obtaining a strong and graceful seat. For instance, it is evident that a stout, short man is less likely to ride well than one who is sufficiently tall and slight. I say " sufficiently tall," because it is a common error to think that one must be tall in order to ride well. On the contrar}^, the taller the horseman, the more difficulties will he have in riding. First of all, the longer the body, the more easily can it be displaced, on account of the height of the centre of gravity, and the harder will it be for the equilibrium to be restored. Also, long legs cannot adapt themselves to the sides of the horse so well as those of medium length, because the feet are below the sides of the horse, and if the rider wishes to use the spurs he is obliged to bend his knees, in order to shorten his legs, which action is ugly, and weakens the seat.
I recognise the fact that every man can acquire a strong seat if he works hard. The remarks I lately made about German stiffness also apply to the English. Nations of Teutonic origin have justl}' earned the reputation of being the best horsemen, which the}' have become b\' their great perseverance and love of work. The Latin races, being of middle height, are better fitted, b}' their suppleness and agility, to work in harmon}' ^\'ith a horse, and if the}' were industrious they would certainl}- be the finest horsemen in the world. But, unfortunately, they are content with being nearly the best. It goes without saying that I am speaking generally, and that there are good and bad horsemen in every country.
The ease, firmness of seat and confidence of the rider generally depend on the first lesson which he has received ; and, as 1 have said, a good seat is acquired only b}' trotting without stirrups for a long time.
MAN'S SEAT. 23
The only horses bciginners should ride are those which have easy paces and very good tempers. One cannot take too much pains to give confidence to a novice. It is only the confidence which he gets in his first lessons that will enable him later on to ride with entire absence of stiffness. A man whose movements on horse-back are stiff, may remain on the outside of his mount, but does not ride him. Stiffness of arms, legs and body makes fine horsemanship impossible. How can contracted or stiff limbs keep in touch with the horse while they are occupied in holding the body on the saddle? When they become supple, and when the body maintains its position in the saddle by balance, they will acquire a delicate feeling with the horse, which they had not at first. Flexibility of the limbs and a good seat are indispensable conditions for attaining "equestrian tact."
Being merely stuck on a saddle is not riding. Generally the pupil gradually gets out of this faulty position only by acquiring confidence in his seat. I need hardly say that a man may be very brave and yet have no confidence in the saddle.
Slight horses are best for the first lessons, especially in the case of boys and men who have short legs, A too great separation of the legs might have grave results, and it fatigues the groins without benefiting the rider in any way. I have seen malformations of the hips caused by this practice. Later on, the rider becomes accustomed to this form of gymnastics, and he will be able to ride a horse of any shape without discomfort.
I think that beginners should not ride with a double bridle, and that it is better for them to use an ordinary snaffle, with a rein in each hand. If they are at first given a double bridle, the body will probably follow the movements of the hands, because, at the beginning, they almost always carry the hands and also the arms either to one side or the other.
24 HORSE AND MAN.
This faulty practice is avoided when the snaffle reins are held one in each hand. We should bear in mind that it is easier to put a beginner into a good position than to rectify a bad seat later on.
To sum up, I may say that the chief good point about a rider is firmness of seat, which is obtained by a correct position and practice. The rider should have, not merely blind pluck, but self-confidence and coolness, without which he will not be able to utilise the useful things he has learned.
It is not necessary to know all about horses in order to ride well. I prefer an unscientific man who can stick on any rideable horse, to one who is strong in theory but weak in practice. The purely theoretical man almost always succeeds in making restive horses which he pretends to break in. He may have enough firmness of seat to give the horse an indication to move, but not sufficient to enable him to enforce his orders when the animal " plays up."
Nothing is worse than to provoke a horse to resistance if the rider has not the pluck to make him give in.
lady's seat.
Except as regards the legs, a lady should sit on a saddle exactly like a man. For some time there has been talk of ladies riding astride, which practice would deprive her of all feminine grace, and would afford no useful result. The great want in a man's seat is firmness, which would be still more difficult for a woman to acquire if she rode in a cross-saddle, because her thighs are rounder and weaker than those of a man. Discussion of this subject is therefore useless. Ladies who ride astride get such bad falls that they soon give up this practice.
At all paces the shoulders should be parallel to the ears of the horse, which is possible only when the hips occupy a similar position. Therefore the position of the lady depends
LADY'S SEAT. 25
entirely on that of the hips. The two legs being on the left, the right leg is hooked round the upper crutch, and is more advanced and higher than the left leg, which presses against the leaping-head, a little above the knee, and the foot rests in the stirrup.
It has been proposed that ladies should sit on the right side of the saddle. English and xAmerican journals have dwelt on the bad effects of girls on only one side of the horse, and they have tried to make out that this practice causes curvature of the spine. As I judge only by practical observations, I can- not say how it would affect children of five or six years old ; but as I have often taught beginners of twelve or thirteen years old, I can certify most positively that girls of that age have nothing to fear on that score.
I am well aware that in England and America young girls are given their first lesson in riding by coachmen and grooms, who are apt to teach wrongly and to pass over, and even accentuate faults. The same remark applies to many riding masters who have studied both theory and practice, and who succeed, only after a long course of teaching, in correcting small mistakes, which are apt to become greater.
I maintain that if a lady is taught by a good master, her figure, instead of being spoiled by riding exclusively on the left side of the saddle, will increase in grace and suppleness. We may therefore continue to make ladies ride only on the left side. Placing her on the right side would be accompanied by the serious inconvenience of making her hold the whip in her left hand, which she cannot use as easily as her right. Her whip hand acts the part of a horseman's leg.
The position of a lady on the left side of a saddle, causes almost all the weight of her body to be carried to the right side ; consequently, the left hip being freer from weight, is apt to be stuck out behind the right hip, which is a fault that ought to be avoided. The weight of the body ought to
26 HORSE AND MAN.
be equall}' distributed on both sides. Like a man in his saddle, she ought to sit in her saddle exacth' as she sits in a chair, namely, with the hips and shoulders parallel to the ears of the horse. This is a question not only of correct attitude, but also of strength of seat, which is the main thing.
A lady is rarely thrown to the left, because she is supported on that side by the crutches, and, if need be, b}' the stirrup. All the danger of a fall is therefore on the right, and it increases in proportion as the left shoulder is drawn back.
It is easy to understand that if a horse makes an abrupt movement, or makes a shy from the right to the left, the upper part of the body will be forcibly thrown to the right, a displacement which can be easily prevented by the lady holding herself in a correct position, that is to say, if her shoulders are placed as I have just indicated. If, on the con- trary, the left shoulder is not so far advanced as the right one, her equilibrium will be unstable and she will be in dan- ger of falling off, which kind of fall should be provided against, because it is dangerous ; for the lad}^ will fall on her head, supposing that she gets clear of the crutches and stirrup. If, in falling, her foot catches in the stirrup, or if her skirt becomes hooked on the crutches, she will become dragged without having any means of freeing herself
That which gives firmness of seat to the horsewoman also endows her with elegance. Consequently, she need not sacri- fice either of these advantages for the other. It is necessary: Firstly, that the knees are brought as closel}' together as possible, the right leg being firmly hooked round the upper crutch, with its pressure acting from front to rear. The left leg, on the contrary, by reason of the fulcrum afforded b}^ the stirrup, exerts its pressure from rear to front. Secondly, the left shoulder should be carried well forward, and the body slightly bent forward, so as to make it more supple.
If the left shoulder is drawn back when the horse is at a
LADY'S SEAT. 27
walk, and consequently when all the weight is on the saddle, the position of the lady is bad and particularly ungraceful. When rising at the trot, her seat is still worse ; because the left shoulder is jerked forward when she rises, and goes back when she comes down on the saddle. This is the well-known ungraceful cork-screw movement.
When the lady sits evenly on both sides of the saddle and has a good position at the walk, her hips and shoulders will easily remain well placed at the trot.
She should keep her body well under her when rising at the trot. The upper part of the body makes no effort, but allows itself to be raised by the movement of the horse. The foot rests in the stirrup iron without stiffness, and the ankle and knees act only as hinges. The slightest muscular con- traction, or the least effort made by the ankle, knees or loins will give the rider a stiff and ungraceful appearance, and will cause fatigue. If the lady will carry out these rules, she will ride in two-time, namely, one on the saddle and one in the air. Otherwise she will come down too quickly, and will mark two-times on the saddle, which will give her a useless and fatiguing shock. I will refer to this fact at greater length when discussing the position of a horseman at the trot (p. 146).
A horsewoman should have great pliability of body, which she will acquire by practice in riding and other preliminary exercises, of which dancing is the best. It also depends on certain small details of dress, about which I may give the following advice.
A lady on horseback is apt to cut herself The slightest crease in her clothes may cause an abrasion. For a long ride, and still more for hunting, she should wear a short chemisette, made of very fine material, and fitting close to the body. The collar and cuffs ought to be strongly connected to this chemisette, and not fixed to it merely by pins, which arc liable
28 HORSE AND MAN.
to fall out or hurt the wearer. I strongly advise that she should wear socks instead of stockings ; because a garter is always inconvenient and may cause serious wounds. The socks should be furnished with a close-fitting collar of some soft and elastic material, such as knitting or jersey, lined with silk, or, still better, very fine doeskin. The trousers should be strapped with india-rubber and should fit rather closely, so that they may not wrinkle. The boots should have elastic sides and not buttons, which might cause wounds. I prefer ordinary boots to long boots, which are too hard, and are consequently apt to cut the wearer under the knee, and to prevent her feeling the horse with her leg. The corset should be very short and low. A long busk is not only inconvenient, but is also dangerous. I would not have touched on these details but for the fact that the dress of the horsewoman is closely connected with her strength of seat and ease in the saddle. I have seen so many ladies returning from a ride in pain, and condemned to spend many da}-s in a long chair, that I am certain the points to which I have drawn attention are important.
The head-dress of the lady should be firmU' arranged, so that it may not occupy her attention, in which case she will think too little of her horse. Then, if she loses her hat, she will probably lose her head.
The choice of a saddle is of great importance, both for the rider and for the horse. Its seat should be quite level, so that the knees of the rider may not be higher than her seat, and it should have but little stuffing, so that it may fit close to the horse, and may not become shifted. The smallest displace- ment of the saddle may seriously injure the animal's withers. If the cantle of the saddle is too short, it will certain!}- hurt the rider, and if too long, it will hurt the horse's loins.
A lady's horse should have high withers, so as to prevent the saddle turninir round. Clreat care should be taken that
LADY'S SEAT. 29
the mane at the withers does not become pressed upon by the pommel of the saddle, the irritation from which often causes the animal to " play up."
A few words about putting a lady into a saddle may be useful, not only for horsewomen, but also for men who have the somewhat parlous honour of touching a lady's foot. I regret to say that when being " put up " a lady generally does the very opposite of what she ought to do. She places the left foot in the hands of her male attendant, and jumps from the right foot on to the left foot, while carrying the body for- ward, with the result that all the weight falls suddenly on the hands of the man, who is inevitably pushed backwards and away from the shoulder of the animal. On the contrary, when her left foot is on his hands, she ought to use the right leg onl)^ to make a slight spring which will enable her, by straightening her left knee, to hold the body upright and a little inclined to the rear. This is a very simple movement, and is exactly similar to that which one makes when getting up a rather high step of a staircase. The lady should not try to jump up, but should limit her spring to straightening the left knee, while keeping the upper part of the bod}^ well bent forward ; and she should use her arms, her left hand resting on the shoulder of her attendant and her right hand on the upper crutch. In acting thus, she will mount quite straight by the impulse given by the hands, and will come natural])- on the saddle, and will carry the seat a little to the rear. She should not try to place herself on the horse, which is the busi- ness of her attendant, but should merely occupy herself with sitting down. If a lady attempts to jump into the saddle, she will generally strike it and fall on the man,
I cannot help adding that the old practice of giving the left foot is bad, and am unable to explain its origin or the reason of its continuance. In fact, to be put on the saddle with the left foot on the hands of the attendant, the lady, when she is
30 HORSE AND MAN.
raised up, ought to carry her seat from front to rear, and from left to right, while the man at the same time makes a movement from rear to front and from right to left. Here we have a double displacement. If, on the contrary, the lady gives her right foot, which is nearer to the horse than the left, she need make only a very slight spring with her left foot and to straighten the right knee, to come naturally on the middle line of the saddle, and to sit down without the slightest displacement. I do not claim the merit of having discovered this simple method, which has long been practised by many of the best horsewomen. I have had the honour of putting into the saddle sovereign ladies who always mounted in this manner. Ladies, without having previously made up your mind, please try for a week this method of being put up on the saddle, and I am certain you will adopt it.
As soon as the lady is in the saddle she ought to place her right leg over the upper crutch without waiting to settle her skirt, so that she may avoid falling off in the event of the horse starting to one side. I ma\' add that the hands of the man ought not to quit the foot of the lad\' until her right leg is in its right place. To dismount, the lady takes her foot out of the stirrup and gives her left wrist to the attendant. She thereupon removes her right leg from the upper crutch, gives him the right wrist, and lets herself slip down to the ground, while supporting herself a little with her arms. She ought to alight on her toes, and should bend her knees, so as to avoid any concussion, which, without this precaution, she is apt to receive after a long ride, on account of her legs being stiff and numbed. I repeat that the lady ought to give her wrists, and instead of jumping ought to slide down. It often happens that the lady throws herself from the saddle and the cavalier takes hold of her by the waist. Not being able to hold her up with his outstretched arms,^hc lets her
LADY'S SEAT. 31
slide through his hands, which is ungraceful and not par- ticularly decent.
The question is often asked whether the lady's cavalier should ride on her right side or on her left ? I do not think that a fixed rule on this subject would work well. Under ordinary conditions the man should be on the right, because the lady, in order to turn her head towards him, is obliged to carry the right shoulder back, which is the correct position, as I have already said. Further, the gentleman, being on the right, can, in case of necessity, help the lady, to whom he cannot come close enough, on account of the position of her legs, if he is on the left. If it happens that there is danger on the left to the lady, by reason of the presence of horses or carriages, he ought to place himself on that side in order to protect her legs.
32
CHAPTER II. ORDINARY RIDING.
Lunging a Horse — Close work, advancing — Collecting a Horse and direct Flexion — Objects to be obtained by direct Flexion — Making a Horse quiet to mount — How to hold the Reins — Teaching a Horse by the Whip to obey legs and spurs — Horse mounted, first Defences, means for overcoming them — The Walk— To halt and stand still — Changes of Direction— Lateral flexions — Objects of Lateral flexions — Rotation of the Croup and Shoulders — School Walk — The rein back — The 7-amener, collection, rassembler, and equestrian tact — Side steps and two tracks — The trot — The canter — Voltes and demi voltes at the canter— Changes of leg — The Hack.
LUNGING A HORSE.
I WORK all horses in the same manner. The animal which is to be broken being brought into the school saddled and bridled, I pass the reins of the curb and snaffle through the throat-latch, so that the horse may not catch them with his feet. I then buckle a lunging rein to the left ring of the snaffle and let the horse walk at ease.
For every lesson the horse should have flannel bandages on his forelegs, from the fetlock to the knee, so as to support the flexor tendons and to guard the horse from getting splints which are often caused by a green horse hitting himself
Immediately after the lesson I take the bandages off the forelegs and put them on the hind ones, and leave them on for three or four hours, which period is sufficiently long to
LUNGING A HORSE. 33
prevent the legs filling and windgalls forming. If flannel bandages are constantly left on, the tissues of the legs are apt to become softened and the tendons to become stretched by the action of the heat.
If he tries to get away from me I let him go, my object being to make him keep close to the wall. If he docs not try to get away and turns towards me, I show him the driving whip, the sight of which will make him get away as far as the lunging rein will allow him. I hold the whip in my right hand, the rein in my left, and I let the horse free to go at any pace he likes. The object of walking the horse in this way round the school is to make him examine the ground and all the surrounding objects which are new to him.
If he is lively he will probably plunge, and then canter or trot, but he will soon steady down. If he is sluggish he will be disinclined to go forward, and it may be necessary to make him go on by showing him the whip. If that does not produce the desired effect, we may touch him lightly on the hind quarters, so as to make him trot or canter for about five minutes. We should most carefully avoid making any abrupt or rough movement which might frighten him.
I have said that I would give the animal five minutes' work at a fast pace, but, of course, would not do so unless he was in good condition. If he was not fairly fit, the duration of the work would be shorter during the first few lessons, and would be gradually increased up to the five minutes' limit.
When the horse has circled for five minutes to the left — that is to say, with the left shoulder towards the inside of the school — I throw the whip down and try to steady the horse by my voice. I then shorten the lunging rein until he is close to me. I speak softly to him and pat him on the neck, which is a form of caress that all horses like. I also stroke his head, if he will let me do so, and then unbuckle the lunging rein and fix it to the off ring of the snaffle.
3
34 ORDINARY RIDING.
After a short rest I begin the same exercises to the right for five minutes. When the work is over I again throw down the whip, and call the horse to me, while at the same time gently drawing him towards me by the lunging rein, and then pat and stroke him as before.
In my opinion the foregoing exercise is the indispensable first step in breaking, and, as I attach great importance to it, I will give my reasons at some length as follows.
A young horse is almost always restless and timid ; shadows, walls, and all sorts of trifling objects frighten him. He rushes away from anything that startles him, and goes to the part of the school which is unoccupied, while I remain by myself in the centre. If I show him the whip, while advanc- ing towards his side, he instinctively flies away and goes to the wall, against which he can be easily kept b)' pointing the whip towards his shoulder.
Being placed between the threat which I make and an object which he fears, and from which he has fled, he returns to this fixed object, which appears to him to be less terrifying than the driving whip. When, thanks to this procedure, he has several times crossed the place of which he was afraid, he will eventually have no fear of it We may note that it was not necessar}' to use punishment, which should be our last resort.
Further, if the animal is too lively, I would give him a good long turn at the trot, or even at the canter, if he prefers that pace, in order to get rid of his excess of energy. If he is dull, I teach him, by means of a few cuts of the whip, to go forward. We must draw a distinction between a horse that is soft and one that is sluggish. If the former is properly fed and exercised he can become lively ; but the latter, although he may be full of muscular vigour, does not like to put forth his strength except when he pleases, a fact which makes him dangerous to an inexperienced rider. We are
LUNGING A HORSE. 35
never certain except with a free-going horse. Although an impetuous animal may get out of control and run a\va\-, I prefer him to a sluggish horse. Pluck is the best quality in a horse.
I have always obtained a good result with my equine pupil, who quickl}' loses fear of the things which surround him, because he has no one on his back to hamper his movements and upset him. I easily obtain my result without a struggle, and without having to put up with the plunges and shies of a horse which has been mounted too soon, and which is liable to roll over on the ground with me, on account of the awk\\'ard use of his feet.
It is of great advantage to teach a horse to know, bear and fear the lunging whip ; because if, later on, he refuses to go forward when ridden by an indifferent horseman, the use of the whip will make him obey. The sight of it will often be sufficient to make him go forward. If he refuses to do so, we should touch him lightly and carefully behind, because an}- roughness or abruptness is apt to make him resist.
Lunging has the further advantage of enabling us to make a horse trot out, by driving his hind quarters forward with the whip. In fact, we can thus make a horse acquire the habit of collecting himself. By being lunged in freedom, he will gain suppleness, confidence, cleverness and sure-footed- ness, which are the best qualities in a horse. A harnessed horse puts his weight on the collar and a mounted animal puts it on the hand of his rider ; but a horse which is lunged is obliged to balance himself independently of all support.
A horse which is lunged at a fast pace for five minutes to the right, and for another five minutes to the left, gets in good wind, on account of the work his lungs have to do. If he was ridden, he would not get this exercise during his first few lessons ; because they would be given at a walk.
3*
36 ORDINARY RIDING.
During the first two or three lessons, I let the horse go at any pace he likes, provided that it is fast and that he keeps to the wall. I make him trot in the subsequent lessons.
It is so easy to make a horse trot, that one ought to do so with any horse in the third or fourth lesson without an assistant. The old custom, recommended in almost every book on the subject, of having two men to lunge a horse is faulty, because it is impossible to have perfect harmony in the movements of these men. It often happens that the man with the whip touches up the horse when he ought not to do so, and that the man who is holding the lunging rein, stops the animal at the moment when his comrade is making him go on. Of course, such a discord could not happen if the breaker was by himself
Supposing that the horse is at the wall, and going to the left ; the breaker, who is at the centre of the school, ought alwa)'S remain facing the horse and at a line with his shoulder, thus keeping him enclosed in the angle made by the lunging rein and whip, the former held in the left hand, the latter in the right hand. The breaker should alwa}^s accompany the horse, but should not follozv him, and should place himself so as always to keep the horse between the lunging rein in front and the ^\'hip behind.
In order to accompany a horse \\\\ho\x\. following him, while constantly remaining in a line with his shoulder, we need only follow the diagonal, while alternately extending and drawing back the arm. This precaution is essential, because if we describe a circle, when following the horse round the school, we shall get giddy and become unable to carry out the work properly. By moving diagonally we can accom- pany the horse as long as we like.
To make the hor.se trot, I touch him lightly behind with the whip. It is better to touch the shoulder, but we should not try to do] so, especially with a young horse, unless we
LUNGING A MORSE. 37
have great experience in using the whip. If, instead of light!}' dropping on the shoulder, the lash touches or brushes b\' the head, the horse will start back, and we shall then obtain a movement which is the exact opposite of what we wanted. xAlso, if the horse is a bit lively, we may stimulate him with a click of the tongue, which is a form of stimulus "\ve should not use too much, because it might upset other horses when we are in compan\'.
If the use of the driving whip makes the horse plunge or go off into the canter, as it often does, I soothe him by lightl}- shaking the lunging rein and speaking to him at the same time. The lunging rein should never be kept tight, but should lemain in touch with the mouth only by its own weight, and by the vibrations which the breaker gives it.
I have already said that the voice is a powerful help in breaking. If, when we shake the lunging rein to make the animal adopt a slower pace, we call out loudly " trot ! " no matter how stupid he may be, he will soon connect in his mind the effect produced on his mouth and the sound which falls on his ears. At first he will obey only the combined impression, but he will soon learn to obe}' the voice b)' itself.
When I ha\'e obtained a free trot which is kept up for the time required, I bring the horse to the walk by lightly shaking the rein, in the same manner as I made him change from the canter into the trot. Here also I use the voice rather loudly, though mildly, in saying " whoa ! "
The next step is to make the horse come up to the breaker. To do this, I gently shorten the rein and draw the horse towards me, while walking backwards with very short steps, so that he gradually gets closer to me. When he has arrived within reach of m}' stretchcd-out arm, I pat him on the neck and soothe him with the voice. I take great care to avoid makinij the slightest forward mo\-ement with the
38 ORDINARY RIDING.
body, my wish being to give him confidence. If I were to make a step forward, he would immediately spring back, which result would be the opposite to that which I wished to obtain. If nothing has frightened him while he is coming to me, and if my pats on his neck and my voice have shown him that he need not fear my presence, he will soon gain confidence, and will of himself try to come to me, and all the more readily when he finds that tranquility is to be obtained only at the centre of the school. He ought to have sufficient confidence to come up to the breaker without fear, but he should do so only at a given signal. Our object is to make him understand this signal without the use of the lunging rein, which wall be discontinued later on.
I use the driving whip to make the horse come up to me in obedience to my order, and I give him light and repeated flicks on the buttock, ribs, or shoulder, while always seeking to block the side from which he tries to escape. In order to make the animal go forward, I sometimes touch him on the breast, in which case his first movement is to run back ; but I continue to hold him tightly with the lunging rein, and while preventing him from running back, I call out '' whoa ! "
If he runs back, he does so because he is afraid of the whip. An unbroken horse does not fly from a sting, flick, or prod ; on the contrary, he goes up to it and lies against it.
We shall see further on that the effect obtained on a mounted horse by the pressure of the leg or by a touch of the spur is due solely to education. A horse in a state of nature will do the very opposite to what he will do when broken. For instance, stung on the right flank by a fly, he will bring himself round to the right, until he meets some object against which he can rub himself or even lie upon.
The sight of the driving whip makes him run away from it, but its touch makes him go forward. As soon as the tension of the lunging rein has shown him that he cannot get away
LUNGING A HORSE. 39
from the sight of the whip by running back, his instinct will cause him to go forward. If at that moment the whip is lowered and a pat on the neck given, he will gain confidence, will understand what we want him to do, and will obey our wishes, x^lthough we cannot obtain the result at the first attempt, we shall do so in a few lessons, especially if the breaker does not frighten the horse by some abrupt move- ment when the animal is advancing.
We can dispense with the lunging rein as soon as the horse will come freely up to us, when we show him the driving whip. This first lunging work is only preparatory. It has been used in all times, but has been applied and utilised in different ways. It was employed in excess before the days of Baucher, who disliked it. I think it is useful, supposing, of course, that it is not employed to fatigue the horse.
In order to make a horse come up to me without the help of the lunging rein, I use the same methods as when lunging. At the beginning of the work I employ the rein a good deal and the whip only a little. According as the horse pro- gresses I diminish the use of the rein and increase that of the whip, while always blocking up with the whip the side at which the horse tries to escape from me, so as to make him come up to me. Finally, he gets into the habit of coming up to me on seeing tlie whip, and without my using the rein in any way. I then teach him to follow me all over the school, while always stopping him with the whip from getting away, and making him promptl)^ go on b)' light flicks on the hind quarters.
Finally I discontinue the use of the lunging rein. If, as always happens, the horse refuses to obey the whip and tries to escape from me, there is a battle, which consists in my flicking the horse on the hind quarters until he comes up to me, which result may at first appear improbable. However, when the horse is pursued by the man round the school for a
40 ORDINARY RIDING.
sufficiently great number of times, his only idea will be to stop. As the whip follows him all round the track of the school and allows him rest only at the centre, he finishes by coming to it, in the same manner as he learned when being lunged. In order to facilitate this movement on his part, the breaker ought to seize the moment when the horse appears inclined to slacken his speed, to make him come away from the wall, by showing him the whip in front, and at the same time calling out "whoa!" which, from his lunging work, he will have learned to regard as an order to come up to his breaker.
If the horse refuses to come up and remains at the wall, we should again follow him up, so as to bring him to the centre, and should continue to do so until he obeys.
I may add that the breaker, by keeping himself out of reach of kicks and blows with the fore feet, will make his authority felt at a distance, and the horse will learn to obey without being provoked into resistance.
I am not a believer in the caveson, except for really vicious horses. If it is used, it should be light and well stuffed.
Having obtained the foregoing important result, I will pass on to " close " work.
CLOSE WORK ; ADVANCING.
Having given up lunging, I take hold of the snaffle reins, after having passed them over the animal's head. I replace the driving whip by a cutting whip, which I use along with the snaffle in the same way as I employed the lunging rein and driving whip.
Having the horse with his right side parallel to the wall of the school, I place myself close to his left shoulder and take hold of the whip and the end of the snaffle reins with the left hand. It goes without saying, that the re\crse aids are used \\hen going round the other wa}\ I conceal the ^^•h^p from
CLOSE WORK; ADVANCING.
41
the sight of the horse b)- placing it along the outside of my left leg. With the right hand I catch the snaffle reins close to the animal's mouth and just below his chin (Fig. i), and then take a few paces forward. If the horse also advances, I pat him on the neck ; but if he refuses to do so, I touch him up behind, close to the girths with the whip. Occasionally, a green horse at first refuses to advance and requires a touch of the whip, which is generalh^ sufficient. Some horses refuse
L(b"
Fie. I. — Leading: a horse forward.
to go forward, especially if we make them bend their necks, in which case I replace the cutting whip by the lunging whip, with which I hit the animal on the hind quarters and always succeed in making him go on.
I wish to direct my readers' special attention to this decisive moment, on \\hich contest depends our future success with the horse. It is impcjrtant to understand that at this moment the animal pays no heed to the demands of his breaker and is ignorant of the breaker's means of coercion. He has not yet learned to fear punishment, and knows little about the reassuring nature of pats on the neck.
42 ORDINARY RIDING.
Appropriate punishment and reward are the two great principles of successful breaking.
If my horse refuses to advance, it is evident that, from the position I am in, it will be difficult for him to run back, but not impossible, and it is necessary to look out for any move- ment which a green horse may make.
To make him go forward, I extend my right arm, while always holding the snaffle reins with the right hand at the chin-groove, over which the curb-chain passes ; and I push, instead of drawing forward, whilst holding the end of the snaffle reins with my left hand behind my back. I lightly touch the horse with the tip of the cutting whip a little behind the girths.
If the horse is quiet and not too nervous and excitable, he will go forward without rushing. He will often, however, answer to the cuts of the whip by plunging, rearing, shying violently to one side, or running back, which are the four " defences " which a horse can offer in this case. Let us now examine the best means of thwarting them.
If the horse plunges, we have only to raise his head, so as- to put the weight on his hind quarters, taking care to keep close to his shoulder, so as to avoid being struck by his fore feet. A horse cannot plunge with his head high.
Rearing is more dangerous, because the horse may hit the breaker a blow on the top of the head with one of his fore feet, to avoid the bad consequences of which accident it is well to wear a chimney pot hat, which has often saved me from a blow on the head. When the horse rears, the right hand should quickly let go the snaffle reins, only the end of which should remain in the left hand, and then, if the breaker turns to the right about, he cannot be hit, as his distance from the horse will be equal to the length of the snaffle reins and that of his left arm. Having allowed him to regain his feet, go up very quietly to him, while carefully concealing the whip.
CLOSE WORK; ADVANCING. 43
If he again rears, bear strongly on the snaffle, but without jerks. When he has tried to rear three or four times without being able to succeed, he will soon give up the attempt, and perhaps may throw himself on his side, which he can do only to the left, as the wall is on his right. A touch of the whip on the left side, and shaking him up with the left snaffle rein will be sufficient to make him get up.
When the horse runs back, we should place ourselves in front of him, and should pull strongly on the snaffle reins, while slightly bending the knees and carrying the weight of the body back, so that the horse can drag us back only with difficulty, and consequently will soon become tired. I have had so much practice in letting myself be dragged, while keeping on my feet, that I can almost always stop any horse at his second or third step. When he finds that we passively and not actively resist his efforts, he will generally stop and give a deep sigh. Fix him in this position, and try to find out, which we can easily do with a little practice, if he is going to yield or to continue his resistance.
The lesson should never be interrupted, and it should on no account be terminated by reason of thz resistance of the horse.
When the horse has given in, I again gently try, as in the previous manner, to make him go forward and do not stop until I have succeeded. Almost always the animal promptly gives in.
In the first part of this breaking, Baucher used to tr\- to make the horse come forward by lightly touching him on the breast with a cutting whip, while he held the snaffle reins at half- length and stood facing the horse. As I have explained in the chapter on lunging, I do not object to this method, although it is open to the serious objection (jf rendering the man liable to be hit b>' the horse's fore feet and of making the animal ticklish. Besides, touching the horse on the breast is of no further use in breaking ; but touching him on the sides.
44 ORDINARY RIDING.
as I have described, is the best preparation for the use of the spurs.
According to the system of Baucher, one pulls the horse by his forehand, and if the animal is thus made to move, he will drag his hind quarters after him ; but by my method the horse gets his hind quarters under him, and by their means he pushes the forehand forward, which is the essential principle of good riding.
COIXECTING A HORSE AND DIRECT FLEXION.
As soon as my horse goes well with me round the school to the left, I make him change and begin similar work to the •other hand. Then, when I am satisfied with him, I commence collecting him. While going to the left and keeping myself at his left shoulder, I take the bit reins in my right hand, at five or six inches from his mouth. Keeping the buckle of the snaffle reins in the hollow of my left hand, I seize with its fingers the snaffle reins at about eight or nine inches from the mouth, and I carry the left hand in advance of the animal's head, in order to draw him forward. It is absolutely in- dispensable to hold the snaffle reins in this way, if we wish to prevent the horse from stopping, when we feel the curb reins. Merely holding the snaffle reins horizontally will not do, because we want to do more than to simply pull the animal forward. It is also necessary that the pull of the snaffle is in an upward direction ; because it ought to raise his head and neck at the moment when the pressure of the bit prompts him to flex his lower jaw (Fig. 2, jaw contracted ; and Fig. 3, jaw and bit free,) which action on his part should be counter- balanced by the pressure of the snaffle, in order that it may not make him lower his head and neck.
I feel the snaffle reins in order to raise the head and neck, and I then put equal tension on the curb reins, in order to make him bend his neck and loosen his lower jaw. If the
COLLFXTING AND DIRECT FLEXION.
45
horse does not go freely forward, I take a stronger feeling of the snaffle reins, and if he stiffens his neck and lower jaw, I
Fig. 2. — Jaw contracted.
make more use of the curb reins. I particularly recommend that the tension of the reins should not be of a uniform and continuous nature, but should consist of light pressures sufficiently prolonged, so as not to form a jerk, and sufficiently
46 ORDINARY RIDING.
short, so that the horse ma}' not be inchned to bear his weight on the bridle.
If he yields, even in the slightest manner, I give to him and pat his neck. I then tr}' to get him to yield still more, Avithout asking too much from him. I again giv^e to him and pat him ; and so on.
We should take particular care to get the horse to give to us, not only with his neck, but also with his jaw, which he will do b\' opening his mouth. The bending of the jaw is the last stage of flexion. Several horses, in yielding the lower jaw, whether in direct or lateral flexions, bring the jaw from one side to the other side. Although the jaw in this case does not resist the hand, it \'ields by going to the right or left, instead of yielding in the direction of the axis of the head. This in- complete method of yielding can be corrected only b}' stimu- lating the animal to go forward.
We can easily understand that if the lower jaw is carried to the right or left, the horse will not be correctly in hand, although his head and neck will be in a good position. His appearance of being in hand is not real, because the contrac- tion of the muscles of his lower jaw makes it impossible for his mouth to be light. In these conditions the horse will never go freely up to his bridle, despite the stimulus of the legs. If I require an increase of impulsion, it is because the horse, b\' escaping from the straight line, brings his head too near his breast, in which case he will have a tendenc)' to get behind his bit. It is therefore necessary to send him up to it.
Finally, if the jaw does not yield, the bending of the neck will onl}' cause the weight to be brought back, and con- sequcntl}- to make the horse rein back or get behind the bit.
The entire principle of direct flexion consists in the alternate opposing actions of the curb and snaffle. Whilst the snaffle draws the forehand forward, a light pressure of the curb
COLLECTING AND DIRECT FLEXION,
47
steadies and bends the head, and causes the jaw to yield with- out stopping the forehand.
To obtain this result, combined with lightness, we must ccn- V
v^'^'
Fig. 3. — Jaw and bit free.
tinually practise the great principle of taking and giving ; the former to stop resistance, the latter to reward obedience. Having obtained it, we should again take, so as to make the horse yield still more ; and so on.
48 ORDINARY RIDING.
A horse should not only champ his bit, but should also relax his lower jaw to it (Fig. 3), which concession proves that the bending of the head and neck is perfect. With this object, when the lower jaw readily yields to the tension of the curb, we should prolong this tension until the horse completely loosens his hold on the curb, and we ought to keep touching him lightly on the side, so as to prevent him stopping (Fig. 4).
It is, of course, understood that this work ought to be done with great lightness of hand. We can gauge the sensibility of the mouth by an alternative feeling of the curb and snaffle^ and can thus at once find out if the horse has a hard or soft mouth. In this manner we readily get good, that is to say, ligJit hands, with which we can manage almost any horse by the continued play of " take and give." It is a great advantage to have good hands, which will be sufficient for all ordinary work. But we can take and give for all our life without being able to render an account of what we are doing, in which case neither the hand nor the horse makes any progress. Finally, the action of the hand would be limited to giving when the horse pulls, and pulling when he gives. This faculty may be called the possession of a bell in the hand, and is in fact the movement of a bell in all its beaut)^
The ivell-trained hand acts in the contrary m.anner, because its role is to break in the horse, that is to say, to advance his education. It remains fixed in position by strongly closing the fingers when the horse pulls, but the moment the horse yields his lower j^w, the fingers should be relaxed with the rapidity of an electric flash.
A good hand gives when the horse takes, and takes when he gives. A ivell-trained hand gives when the horse gives, and takes when he takes, and that instantaneously.
In all cases we ought to guard against confounding hardness
COLLECTING AND DIRECT ELEXION.
49
of mouth with the resistance which is due to a faulty position of the head. A horse which carries his head low is always heavy in hand, because he puts all his weight forward, but it does not therefore follow that he has a hard mouth. If we simply change the position of his head, and place it high, it will not bear on the hand, and we will be able to find out what kind of a mouth he has.
Fig. 4. — Going forward when mobilising the lower jaw, so as to prevent the horse getting behind his bit.
It is a mistake to think, as many do, that a horse which slavers or foams at the mouth has a good mouth. To produce this soapy foam, a horse must contract his tongue, ancl will not then be able to have his mouth free, at rest, and ready for the fingering of his rider. A horse produces this foam by con- stantly turning his tongue, or by rubbing it against his hard palate, by passing it over the bit, or by making it into a ball at the back of his mouth. In all these cases, the only
4
50 ORDINARY RIDING.
remedy is to put a small movable plate of the shape of a figure of eight, with its centre on the top of the port of the bit, upon which it can revolve. This apparatus will also prevent horses letting their tongues hang out of their mouths.
Sometimes a horse foams at the mouth by playing with one of the cheeks of the bit, which we can prevent by putting the mouthpiece a little higher up in his mouth and tightening the chin-strap, so that he cannot reach the cheeks of the bit either with his tongue or lips.
A good moiitli will always continue fresh during work with- out being either dry or wet.
If the flexion has been made in the manner I have indicated, and by the methods I have described, the horse will have his neck high and bent at the poll ; the axis of the head will be a little beyond the perpendicular, the mouth open, and the curb free (Fig. 3). In order that the flexion may be irreproachable, it is necessary that the muzzle should be on a Ime with the upper part of the shoulder (Fig. 5). The bending of the neck should bring the direction of the head near to, but not behind the perpendicular, which faulty position can be produced only when the neck is bent at a point too near the withers. By this position I have my horse very lightly on the bit. Whereas Baucher, who liked to have his mount behind the bit, drew the animal's head back beyond the perpendicular, and thus put the horse into this position.
I will now describe the mechanism of direct flexion, as I understand it, and as I have practised it, with this single difference, that, for the sake of clearness, I take for granted that the horse is halted ; although I will explain later on, that at first I make the direct flexion while going forward.
The majority of riding masters practice this flexion in an entirely different manner. To give an account of what ought to be the direct flexion, which is the fundamental
OBJECTS OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. 51
principle of riding, we must first know what is the desired result to be obtained from making it.
OBJECTS TO BE OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. I. To balance the horse by the height of his neck. It is very rare that horses are naturally well balanced. On account of
Fig. 5. — Muzzle on a line with upper part of shoulder.
their conformation, all horses have a tendency to be heavy in front, and the majority of them have this defect ; the cause being the distance which the head is removed from the base of support. The further the head is away from the centre of gravity the lower it is, and the more weight is on the shoulders. The result of raising the neck, so as to bring the head near to the centre of gravity, is to more or less equalise the distribution of weight. As good horsemanship depends
52 ORDINARY RIDING.
on the distribution of weight, as we shall see further on ; the first step in breaking ought to be the equal distribution of weight, so that good equilibrium maintained during pro- gression may later on give lightness to.every movement.
Raising the neck and putting equal weight on the fore- hand and hind quarters will allow them full freedom and energy, and will put the horse in such a position that he will only require to be stimulated. With the neck high, the hocks are easily brought under the centre of the body, and the action of the fore legs becomes lofty. In a word, raising the neck gives good equilibrium and grace by lightness.
In racing, one's sole object is to gain in length without paying any attention to high action. Consequently, in training, one guards against raising the neck. Here we prove the principle that a horse extends himself as much as possible by " daisy cutting."
But there are horses which are heavy behind, and one might think that if it is good to raise the neck of a horse which is heavy in front, it would be necessary to lower the neck of the animal whieh is heavy behind ; but this is not so. As I have just explained, the conformation of the horse and the relations between his levers are such that the equilibrium of his mass can be obtained only by raising the neck.
The horse which is heavy behind is inclined to get behind his bit, and has his hocks either too far removed or too near his centre. In the former case the horse is too much stretched out, and in the latter the croup is unduly lowered, and the points of the buttocks are much further back than the hocks.* Here, instead of a naturally bad distribution of the weight of the mass, as with a horse heavy in front, we have
* This position is dangerous, because the horse is ready to rear. The danger of being behind the bit is restiveness, which causes rearing, witli the probability of the animal falling backwards.
OBJECTS OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. 53
a bad voluntary distribution of the forces in an animal which holds himself back and which does not wish to advance ; and his hocks do not do their work of pushing" the mass forward. If we overload the forehand by lowering the neck, we add still more to the weight, and consequently we increase the difficulty of the work required from the hocks.* We must therefore raise the neck in order to lighten the forehand ; but we should raise it from below upwards, and not from front to rear, while taking care not to exaggerate the movement and to keep the hand very light. A high position of the neck is the first condition of good equilibrium, and having obtained it, we should seek to give freedom to the hind quarters, while bringing them into action, and making the horse go freely forward, which we do by the flexions of the well-placed head, by the loosening of the jaw, and especially by the legs. A horse which is heavy in his hind quarters is behind his bit, and if he does not wish to go forward, he is behind the legs. With such an animal we must employ great lightness of hand and great energy of the legs, so as to change his distribution of weight by making him go up to his bit.f We cannot obtain this result by a low position of the neck, which is the chief obstacle to lightness.
2. To fix the neck in the axis of the body by connecting to the shoulders the head rendered light by flexion. The unbent head is heavy at the end of the neck, which has become too movable. Hence the proverb, " Heavy head, slack neck." This is a case similar to that of holding a fishing-rod b)- its thin end. The flexed head, on the contrary, moves with lightness on the high neck, which is kept without stiff'ness on the axis of the body by the sole action of the good
* Without taking into consideration that a depressed position of the neck will give only more spring to the act of rearing.
f In such cases the driving whip, which obliges the horse to go forward, is a good preparation for the use of the legs.
54 ORDINARY RIDING.
equilibrium of the levers. Head, neck, and shoulders fixed in the axis of the well-balanced body, and making a supple and homogeneous whole. This is the action of flexion.
3. To obtain lightness by the relaxation or flexion of the Jaw. Having the body balanced and connected in all its parts, the flexion of the jaw enables us to regulate collectively with extreme lightness all the movements from rear to front, and from front to rear, by receiving on the hand the impul- sion of the mass which the legs throw on the bit, and which the hand, in its turn, partly sent back to the rider's legs. The hand only retains and sends back to the centre the amount of impulsion which is necessary to maintain equili- brium. The greater portion of the impulsion is naturally- employed to propel the body forward. The flexibility from front to rear of the arm of the bent and jointed lever formed by the neck, head, and jaw, progressively increases from rear to front ; that is to say, from the shoulders to the neck, from the neck to the head, and from the head to the jaw. In other words, we hold the fishing-rod by its butt end.
Thus, all the force developed by the horse is concentrated in the hand, the slightest action of which on the bars bends, first, the jaw, proportionately to the impulsion ; secondly, the head* by the jaw ; and thirdly, by the head, the neck ; the neck reacting with its greatest effect on the shoulders. The expression employed to define the reciprocal position of the horse and rider is most exact. We have really our horse in hand.
With respect to these remarks it is necessar}- to point out that the position of the head is singularh^ favourable to the action of the reins. In fact, the curb, which acts almost like
*The head ought to oscillate from a position a little beyond the perpendicular to the perpendicular, but never in rear of it. The position which I have indi- cated enables us to get by the shortest way to the end of the lever, and to obtain the greatest eft'ect t)y the smallest effort.
55
Fig. 6. — Correct preparation for direct flexion.
Fig. 7.— Preparation for Baucher's direct flexi
56 ORDINARY RIDING.
a second snaffle, if the head is low, presses freely on the bars, and develops all its power when the head is raised, provided always that the head is kept a little beyond the perpen- dicular. The moment the axis of the head comes behind the perpendicular, the action of the curb is false, because it works from below upwards. Then the horse begins to draw his chin into his breast.
Such, I consider, is direct flexion and its object.
We can see that this flexion, as I practice it, is not done by chance or simple routine. On the contrary, I have care- fully given my reasons, and I have touched on all details to justify my practice.
Unfortunately Baucher, who was the first to improve the art of flexions, by making it the base of his method, did not give a complete account of its mechanism. This did not matter much to him, because his marvellous equestrian tact remedied every deficiency. Where his theory was false, his hands and legs by themselves rectified, more or less conscientiously, the error of his doctrine.
Baucher, however, could not put his tact into his books, in which he left his good and bad doctrines. I consider that by criticising him and by showing where he has failed, I shall render increased homage to the great horseman. I maintain that the flexion which Baucher has described, and which is practised every day,* has done much to discredit in the minds of horsemen this most useful exercise, which I con- sider to be the first condition of good equitation.
Baucher's faulty flexion, which is in very common use to-day, is made at the withers instead of at the poll. It lowers the neck, and causes the horse to place the weight on his shoulders, that is to say, it aggravates the natural fault in equine conformation, and it makes him liable to fall by
* Alas ! ihe faults of masters are acquired more easily than their good qualities.
57
Fig. 8. — Incorrect and frequently employed flexion.
Fig. 9. — Lowering the head — a faulty practice.
58 ORDINARY RIDING.
carrying his head low, and to draw his chin into his breast by bringing his head behind the perpendicular. We must note that this fault was originated by Baucher, who, during the greater part of his career, made the flexions at the withers by lowering the neck. Compare Fig. 6, which shows the flexion I have described, with Fig. 7, which illustrates Baucher's flexion, and which I have taken from his book. It is well to note that Baucher's horse in Fig. 7 has his legs stuck out in front, and consequently it is im- possible for him to go forward. Nothing could be worse ! Compare the correct flexion, shown in Fig. 5, with that in Fig. 8, which is the more frequently practised of the two.
Towards the end of his life Baucher recognised this mistake (see his last edition, 1874); but he restricted himself to raising the head of the horse, without making the flexion when it was high. Whatever he did and whatever errors he made, he was an incomparable horseman. The people of to-day who make faulty flexions succeed only in ruining their horses. There is no reason for stopping when one has started on this road. Certain authors have thought it right to systematically lower the neck, than which there is no better means of ruining a horse ! As a great curiosity, I have shown in Figs. 9 and 10 two illustrations which appeared in recently published books, and which show the lesson of lowering the neck. That could be called the art of teaching a horse how to break his knees !
This explains how it is that many people say that they have made their horses perform flexions without any good result, a fact which should not surprise us. As we have just seen, the flexion is such a delicate thing that an incapable horseman who practises it, will often spoil a horse instead of improving him. If, on the contrary, the reader under- stands the principles and practice described in this chapter,
59
Fig. I o.- Lowering the head— a faulty practice.
Y\cr. 1 1. —Direct flexion when going forward.
6o ORDINARY RIDING.
he will always be certain to obtain by flexion the benefits which he has a right to expect.
To thoroughly explain the mechanism of flexion, I have been obliged to suppose that the horse was halted. But I must explain, contrary to what is everywhere practised, that I begin the direct flexion while going forward. With this object, I place myself at the shoulder of the horse, which I stimulate by a click of the tongue, while drawing him forward by a stronger feeling of the reins of the snaffle (Fig. ii). Apart from this, the flexion is done exactly as I have indicated.
When I have obtained a certain number of flexions of the jaw, I let the horse walk freely beside me for a few moments, and I carefully avoid prolonging the flexions, although I frequently begin them again. When the horse has got into the habit of readily doing the direct flexion at the first indication of the reins by relaxing his jaw, the breaker should modify his method in order to make the animal assume as nearly as possible the conditions he will be under when mounted. This will be a new form of work.
The breaker, always in the same position, and being on the near side of the horse, holds the reins of the curb and snaffle in his right hand at about six inches from the jaw. The left hand holds the end of the snaffle reins and the cutting whip, the point of which he keeps on a level with the animal's side. Under these conditions, at the moment when the right hand demands the direct flexion, the whip performs the office of making the horse go forward, as before described (Fig. 4).
We are then placed under the same conditions as when mounted. No longer, as was recently done, the forehand draws forward the hind quarters, which now get under the body, and propel the forehand on the head held by the
OBJECTS OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. 6i
reins,* i.e., by the hand of the rider. In this manner the horse learns to go forward without leaning on the bit, and is then perfectly light, in the same way as we ought to make him later on when he is mounted. The work which I have just described not only prepares the mouth of the horse in an admirable manner, but also makes the hand of the rider skilful. There is no doubt that it is easier to make the jaw supple when standing still than during movement ; but there is the risk of making him keep behind the bit, which inconvenience, or rather danger, is avoided when going forward (Fig. 4). I insist on this point ; because, if the work of loosening the jaw during movement is certainly longer and more difficult, it guards us against the great danger of putting the horse behind the bit, which is always the inevitable result of the first flexions. Therefore, take your time and do well.
Although, as a rule, I maintain that it is of the greatest importance for the whole of this work to be done when going forward, I am obliged to admit that it would be impossible or at least extremely fatiguing to do it with certain horses which throw themselves suddenly on the hand, or which have their heads too low. Personally, I have never found these faults carried to such an extent that I have been unable to obtain direct flexion and relaxation of the jaw while going forward.
If the work is stationary, we should take the utmost care to prevent, at all hazards, the horse from getting behind his bit If he reins back ever so little, we should immediately send him forward by touching him on the side with the whip, while holding the end of the snaffle reins in the left hand (Fig. 4). If the horse stretches out his hind legs behind, or his fore legs
* We will notice in Fig. 4 the manner in which the right hand of the breaker holds at the same time the reins of the snaffle and those of the curb. The former are held between the thumb and closed index finger, and keep the neck high by their upward pull. The latter are held more or less horizontally, and serve to loosen the jaw, the left curb rein being passed between the middle finger and the ring-finger ; and the right, underneath the little finger.
62 ORDINARY RIDING.
in front, he is also behind his bit, and should be immediately sent forward.
A horse may be behind his bit without backing, and this may happen even without the animal moving his feet. He will have this tendency if a perpendicular dropped from the point of his buttocks comes behind his hocks, in which case the weight will be on his hind quarters. We should then act energetically on the snaffle, in order to bring the body for- ward and maintain the balance of the body during flexion, or to avoid a return of the tendency to get behind the bit.
After this preparation, direct flexion becomes easy when mounted, especially as the action of the legs in propelling the horse on the hand is more energetic and effective than that of the whip.
Here the chief point is to begin, not by the action of the hand, but by that of the legs, which ought to be used progressively. In mounted work, as in flexion on foot, it is, of course, necessary that the hand makes the concession at the moment when the horse yields, in order to retake its action immediately afterwards. The entire practice of flexions is comprised in timely taking and giving. It is, of course, understood that the legs should always remain close to the animal's sides, as much for obtaining a definite concession of the jaw as for avoiding the tendency to get behind the bit. It is also taken for granted that the flexion should never be made at a halt, when the horse is mounted, which is a most objectionable practice. As we can obtain relaxation of the jaw only by light touches of the spur, the horse contracts the habit of resting on the spur when standing still. As we have then no means of making him go forward, or of preventing him from reining back, he becomes restive.* This result is all
* Baucher made the mistake of practising the flexion when mounted at a halt. He naturally proceeded by light touches of the spur. Only his great tact saved him from making his horses restive.
OBJECTS OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. 63
the more certain when the horse no longer dares to go up to his bridle when moving forward, on account of the pre- ponderance which the hand has on the legs, whenever the animal wants to advance.
Fig. 12. — Baucher's flexion when mounted.
Finally, the work of making the horse go forward consti- tutes the great difference between my system of equitation and that of Baucher.
My first lesson has been to make the animal go forward.
In his Dictionnaire raisonnce (V equitation (1833), page 112,
64
ORDINARY RIDING.
Baucher writes : " During the first lessons the entire half-hour should be occupied in stationary work, except the last five minutes, during which the rein-back will be practised." Twenty-five minutes of stationary work and five minutes of reining back is a deplorable waste of time. For a lesson of
Fig. 13. — Correct flexion when mounted.
half an hour's duration I would devote thirty minutes to forward work, without any stationary work or reining back.
We shall subsequently see that this difference in method is found in all the work.
Naturally, Baucher's flexion is as incorrect in mounted work as iri worl< on foot. Fig,, 12, which is borrowed without any change from his- book, enables \is to judge his work b}^ comparing it with Fig. 13, which represents correct flexion.
OBJECTS OBTAINED BY DIRECT FLEXION. 6$
Fig. 14, which is taken from a recent work,, shows in an exaggerated form all the faults of Baucher's bad flexion. In it the head is low, far trom the centre of gravity and behind the perpendicular ; the horse has all his weight on his
Fig. 14. — Exaggerated example of Baucher's incorrect flexion.
shoulders, and is ready to bring his chin into his breast ; the muscles of the jaw are contracted, and the action of the curb is in a downward direction, and is consequently false. This caricature of breaking is simply perfect ! The exact opposite of all these conditions is what we should seek to obtain from direct flexion.
' 5
66 ORDINARY RIDING.
MAKING A HORSE QUIET TO MOUNT.
To make a horse quiet to mount, we must adopt a method by which we can easily stop him from annoying the rider, or preventing him from getting into the saddle. Let us examine the means we should employ, and let us place ourselves in such a position that we will be able to circumvent any defence which his instinct or bad habits may prompt him to make.
The vicious or restive horse rears, lashes out, strikes with his near forefoot, or cow-kicks with his near hind. With such an animal we should make use of the lunging rein and driving whip, and make a feint of putting a foot in the stirrup while standing close to the near shoulder. If he rears, we can hit him thoroughly with the lash of the whip across his buttocks. As he is held by the lunging rein, we can remain sufficiently far away from him to avoid being struck. Every time he rears we should begin again until he yields. If he reins back, we should employ similar methods. If he kicks, raise his head and loudly scold him. If he strikes out in front, cut him with the driving whip on the offending leg.
Besides horses which resist in this manner, there are others which are simply timid, nervous, restless, ticklish, or irritable, and which do not remain as quiet as they ought to do, although they do not really "show fight." What will they do? They will perform only four movements — namely, go forward, run back, shy off to the right or to the left, against which we should act as follows :
I take the near rein of the snaffle in my left hand, and with the same hand I catch hold of the mane at about the middle of the neck in such a manner that there is a slight tension on the rein which I hold. I pass my right hand, in which I have my cutting whip, over the neck, seize with it the off snaffle rein, which I draw up only slightly, and finally take hold of the pommel of the saddle with the right hand (Fig. 15).
MAKING A HORSE QUIET TO MOUNT. 67
I then face the left shoulder of the horse. If he runs back, a cut on the croup with the whip will bring him forward. This can be repeated twenty or thirty times till he yields. If he goes forward, I bring him back by feeling the reins. If he shies to the left, I draw his head to that side, and conse- quently bring his hind quarters to the right. Similarly, if he
Fig. 15. — Proper way to mount.
shies to the right, I draw his head to the right, so as to make him carry his hind quarters to the left.
He makes his defences, when the rider touches the stirrup with his foot, when he puts his foot into the stirrup, or when he raises himself by his straightened left knee, and before he has passed his right leg over the saddle. We should not go to the second or third of these movements until we have made the horse perfectly steady in the preceding movement. We should not place ourselves in the saddle until the animal remains steady during all the time wc are standing on the
5*
68 ORDINARY RIDING.
near stirrup iron, at which moment it often happens that the horse attempts one of the defences already described. If the movement is only slight, we can correct it by the action of the reins without changing our position. If it is violent, we can place our foot on the ground and correct him with the whip.
Finally, we should bear in mind that as soon as we are in the saddle, we should have the snaffle reins in their respective hands, and we should hold them only just short enough to enable us, by a light feeling on them, to steady the horse, in the event of his " playing up."
I ought to admit that my method of getting into the saddle is contrary to the principles which are generally taught. In fact, it is always laid down that to mount, the rider ought to take both reins of the snaffle and a lock of the mane near the withers in his left hand ; place the right hand on the centre of the saddle, raise himself on the stirrup, and, when his left knee is straight, carry his right hand quickly from the cantle to the pommel, while passing his right leg over the horse. He then sits down. By this system the rider is unable to counteract any movement made by the horse. Further, at the moment when the right hand passes from the cantle to the pommel, the equilibrium of the rider is as unstable as possible, and can be upset by the slightest cause. Precisely on account of this want of equilibrium, the rider falls, instead of sits, down on the saddle, and by falling in this manner he can unfortunately hurt himself, especially on the pommel, if the horse makes a single step to the rear.
With the method which I advocate, the rider is able to avoid any accident, to stop any "playing up," or even any movement on the part of the horse ; because he holds a snaffle rein in each hand.
When I lunge a horse, I take care to girth him with a moderate degree of tightness before putting him into a trot.
MAKING A HORSE QUIET TO MOUNT. 69
And as lie gets a bit slack from trotting, the girths do not in- convenience him when I mount. I always carry out this procedure when mounting a difficult horse for the first time.
Grooms are in the habit of girthing up their horses very tightly, and it would be contrary to a knowledge of the weak- nesses of human nature to think that they would give up this practice on the very day when I try to succeed at what they have failed to do. On that day they girth up more tightly than ever. They know that the tighter a horse is girthed up the more he will plunge, and therefore they feel certain that the)' will presently have the innocent pleasure of seeing me chucked over the ears of the horse. Nevertheless I encourage them to girth up more tightly, and after they have squeezed him as tightly as they can I take him by the bridle, walk him about for a few minutes, and the moment before putting my foot in the stirrup I let out the girths one or two holes. I am then in the saddle, and the animal gives a great sigh of relief, which for the moment prevents him from thinking of pla)'ing up.
I never allow my horses to be held when mounting them. All horses become quiet if not held, and they will gain confi- dence if we mount and dismount several times consecutively, while patting them on the neck. We ought to mount as quietly and lightly as possible. Above all things, we ought to avoid bustling the horse when starting ; because, if he expects we are going to do this, he will never stand quietly to be mounted.
I never require anything from the horse which I mount for the first time. I am content if he walks straight on. I keep the reins separated, I feel only those of the snaffle, and I never touch the horse with the spurs for the first few lessons. I ride him a few times round the school to the right and to the left, while leaving him as free as possible, supposing, of
yo ORDINARY RIDING.
course, that he does not play up, which he will very rarely do if I require almost nothing from him.
If he carries his head too low, I try to raise it by almost imperceptible touches on the snaffle reins, which I draw upwards, and not from front to rear. If he holds his head too high, I feel the curb reins very lightly, and in such a way as not to stop his forward movement. If he stops on account of the action of the curb, I let the reins loose and apply my legs behind the girths. In this case the legs have an effect similar to that of the cutting whip during work on foot. I keep on at the horse until I have obtained forward movement, which is the great end that has to be obtained at any price.
Having obtained this forward movement, I prolong it, as I have said, for a few turns round the school, while trying to get the head into a good position ; but I work very lightly, and always in such a manner as not to stop the horse. If I obtain only a little play in the mouth, I get off, and make a few flexions on foot until he obeys. I then give him some carrots and send him to the stable.
Carrots ought always be cut lengthwise and never across^ in which case they might stick in the animal's throat. I have seen a horse almost choked by swallowing carrots cut across. I do not give sugar to a horse, because if he is bridled and plays with his bit, it will produce a foam that will soil one's clothes, which is the smallest objection. A more serious one is that sugar given in the stable predisposes a horse to crib-bite. He begins by licking his manger, and, finding the taste agreeable, he finishes b)- persistently biting it, which is a habit that will often make him crib-bite or wind-suck.
In this mounted lesson, I have asked the horse only to go forward, while making him lightly work his jaw. Further, as a general rule, we should not demand from him several things at a time, because he will be apt to confuse them, and we may mistake for disobedience a simple want of comprehension on his part.
Off snaffle rein
tnd of curb reins
Fig. i6. — Equal tension on all four reins.
Curb ' reins
Fig. 17. — Action of the curb; little finger brought towards the body.
Curb rem.b
Off snaffle rein
Curb reins
Snaffle reins
Fig. 18. — Action of the snatTle ; thumb brought towards the body.
72 ORDINARY RIDING.
HOW TO HOLD THE REINS.
There are three orthodox ways for holding the reins, namely, the English, German, and Frencli. I do not hesitate to say that the French way is the best.
As the snaffle is higher in the mouth than the curb, its principal action is to raise the head of the horse, and that of the curb to lower it. In other words, the snaffle is an elevator ; the curb, a depressor. Therefore, the reins should occupy the same respective positions in the hand, as the snaffle and curb do in the mouth, namely, the snaffle reins should be above the curb reins.
Contrary to this very simple principle, the English place both reins at the same height in the hand and hold one rein between each finger. The Germans act in a still more con- trary way to the principle in question, by holding the snaffle reins below the curb reins, supposing that the hand is in a vertical position. It appears that the Germans have even less common sense than the English.
Reason tells us that the reins should be held in the French manner ;* the hand vertical, the left curb rein under the little finger of the left hand ; the right rein between the ring finger and the middle finger, while their ends pass between the thumb and index finger. The two reins of the snaffle are joined in the same hand, and taken between the thumb and index finger (Fig. i6). With the reins held in this manner and without displacing the hand, we are able, by the mere play of the wrist, to obtain the movements which are indis- pensable for acting on the mouth ; supposing, of course, that the animal is broken.
1st. The hand placed in position exerts an equal tension on all four reins (Fig. i6).
• Is it not strange that in the French army the (icrnian metliod of holding the reins is adt)ptecl, namely, the snaffle rein under the curb rein ?
73
Fig. 19.— Action of off curb rein ; knuckles lowered. Curb reins
Off curb rei
Curb reins
Snaffle reins
Fig. 20. — Action of near curb rein ; knuckles raised.
Off snsffle rein
Near curb rem
End of yi snaffle reins
fnd 0/ curb re/ns Fig. 21. — Separating the curb and snaffle reins.
74 ORDINARY RIDING.
2nd. Action of the curb ; the httle finger brought towards- the body (Fig. 17).
3rd. Action of the snaffle ; the thumb brought towards the body (Fig. 18).
4th. Action of the off curb rein ; the knuckles lowered (Fig. 19).
5 th. Action of the near curb rein ; the knuckles raised (Fig. 20).
We can obtain all the necessary effects on the mouth of the horse by the rotation of the wrist from rear to front (Fig. 17) ; from front to rear (Fig. 18) ; from left to right, i.e., prona- tion (Fig. 19) ; and from right to left, i.e., supination (Fig. 20).
When the reins are held in this manner, they are kept apart as far as possible, supposing that they are in one hand. The effect obtained is almost similar to that which would be produced if the reins of the curb were held in the left hand and the snaffle reins in the right hand, a little above them. We can easily, if required, use both hands ; because the right hand can take up the snaffle reins or put them back into the left hand without disarranging or even touching the curb reins (Fig. 21).
Finally, if we wish to have all four reins separated, namely, the near ones of the curb and snaffle in the left hand, and the off ones in the right hand (which is often necessary), we have only to take the off reins in the position in which they are, by placing the right hand between the reins of the curb and those of the snaffle in such a manner that the off rein of the curb will come under the little finger of the right hand, and the off rein of the snaffle between the thumb and index finger of the same hand, in exactly the same position as the reins are in the left hand.* We thus keep in the two hands the
*Fig. 22 shows the right hand being passed between the off rein of the curb and the off rein of the snaffle, and Fig. 23 shows the right hand being closed on these two reins. Fig. 24 shows the reins separated.
75
bnaffle reins Curb reins
rem Curb reins
Fig. 22. — Passing the right hand between the off curb rein and off snaffle rein.
Near snaffle rein remaininQ m the left _ hand
r> Off snaffle rem held by tfie
'la oy me right hand
r curb rem remaining iri tn'e fe\i tiand
Off curb rein tal<en by the right hand
Snaffle reins I* /// '^ ^""^^ '^elns Fig. 23. — Closing the right hand on the off curb rein and on the off snaffle rein^
f^ear snaffle rem
Snaffle reins
Fig. 24. — Separating the rein:
Off curb rein Curb reins
^6 ORDINARY RIDING.
same distance between the reins of the curb and those of the snaffle as determined by the httle finger and thumb.
By an inverse movement, we can replace the four reins in the left hand, in the position which they previously occupied. I need hardly add that, until the breaking of the horse is fairly well advanced, we do not draw up all four reins, which would consequently tend to combine and sometimes even to â– confuse their effects. When we have to deal with a green or insufficiently broken horse, in which case we may require to produce very quickly precise and particularly decisive effects, it is well to separate the reins.
TEACHING A HORSE BY THE WHIP TO OBEY LEGS AND SPURS.
I invariably begin my lesson by repeating the former exer- cises, but every day I require something new from the horse.
As soon as the horse goes freely in every direction with a slight play of the jaw, I teach him to obey the leg and then the spur. This work should be done on foot and by means of the cutting whip.
While facing the horse, I take the snaffle in the left hand* close to the mouth so as to hold the head high. With the whip, which I hold in my right hand, I touch the horse very lightly just behind the girths, at the place where the spur will act, and at the same time I carry his head to the left.-f* The horse should thereupon carry his haunches to the right. He will show that he obeys by taking one or two steps in that
* The buckle of the bridoon rein ought to remair. in the left hand during all the work on foot.
t This is what is termed lateral effects, because the effect on the forehand and that on the hind quarters are produced on the same side. In diagonal equitation, which is rational equitation and the consequence of good breaking, the effect on the forehand is always on the side opposite to that on the hindquarters. It is the only way to secure the movements in their entirety.
TEACHING A HORSE BY THE WHIP. 77
direction. I then stop him and pat him on the neck. If, on the contrary, he strikes out in front or kicks, on account of being touched by the whip, I rate him loudly and hold his head very high, which will oblige him to lower his croup.
It is of the greatest possible consequence that the patting on the neck should immediately follow the act of obedience on the part of the horse, in the same way as punishment should follow disobedience. This is the fundamental principle of breaking.
If the horse throws himself on the whip, that is to say, to the left, which ticklish horses are inclined to do, we must carry his head forcibly to the left, so as to bring his hind quarters to the right ; but should not punish the animal, because, as I have already pointed out, his action is instinc- tive. When we have put him several times through this work, which does not fatigue or trouble him, he readily yields, and does it on both sides. I recommend the breaker to be content with two or three steps. He should stop and pat the horse on the neck each time the animal obeys. I recommence this work very often.
When the horse readily yields to the whip on both sides, we should not turn his head to the side opposite to that towards which he turns his hind quarters. He should be kept straight, so that he may obey only the indication of the whip.
This work with the whip prepares the horse to bear and understand the action of the leg and spur. At the same time, it places the head in a good position, and it is an excellent and indispensable suppling exercise before coming to the lateral flexions which we will presently consider.
Baucher practised the lateral flexions before teaching the horse to yield his hind quarters to the whip. This method is wrong, because, when we begin the lateral flexions, the instinct of the horse makes him carry his hind quarters to the side opposite to that towards which we bend the neck. If we
78 ORDINARY RIDING.
have not taught obedience to the whip, how can we straighten the hind quarters ?
HORSE MOUNTED — FIRST DEFENCES — MEANS FOR OVERCOMING THEM.
In the preceding chapter I have taken for granted that when I am mounted, the horse will go forward, if I want him to do so. As the animal will not always be obedient, it is well to be forearmed against any probable or even possible resistance which he may make. It is therefore necessary to keep the legs close to his sides, in order to avoid being taken off our guard by an abrupt movement, and, above all, to lean the body well back, so as to put the weight on our seat. We are then ready for anything that may happen.
If the horse tries to buck, we should press him forward with the legs and hold his head high. It is not hard to sit a for- ward plunge when the head is kept high.* But the rider is easily displaced if the horse bucks without going forward, places his head between his fore legs, and arches his back. In this case, as the rider is not able to make the horse go for- ward, he should turn him to the right or left by means of the snaffle. Each time he tries to stop by lowering his head, he should be turned afresh ; but it is not necessary to insist on turning him more to one side than to the other side.
All horses have a soft and a hard side to their mouths. At first, if the horse resists when we try to turn him to the right, we should content ourselves by trying to turn him to the left. The great thing is to prevent him from bucking without going forward, his bucks being made in order to get rid of his rider.
Later on, when the horse has made some progress in his
* Bucking without going forward is the most difficult of all movements to sit. If the horse cannot be made to go on and if he continues to buck without advancing, it will be impossible to sit him.
HORSE MOUNTED— FIRST DEFENCES. 79
breaking, it would be evidently wrong to let him turn to the right, if we wanted him to go to the left ; but at present we should consider only his acts of resistance. It is certainly a great point gained to be able to prove to him that he cannot get us out of the saddle. If he succeeds in doing this, we ma\' be certain he will continue to try on the same form of defence.
The danger of at first requiring the horse to turn to which- ever side we wish, consists in the fact that by doing this we run the risk of prompting the animal to add a second act of resistance to the first one. In fact, when we wish to turn the horse to the left, for instance, we are obliged to take a strong pull on the left rein, and may thus make him pointe (half rear) or rear* by throwing too much weight on his hind quarters.
The pointe or lancade is a forward spring in which the forehand is kept higher than the croup. Like all other forward movements, it is not dangerous, because its displacing effect is not great.-}- The movements of the loins and croup are, however, very disconcerting to the rider. When the horse rears, he stands up on his hind legs, which he keeps fixed on the ground. This is a very dangerous form of resistance and may cause the animal to fall backwards.
In my youth, when my horse reared, I used to put both arms
* We may succeed in preventing the rear or the 'â– 'â– pointe " by the vigorous use of the spurs. But to do so, we should seize with precision the fleeting moment when the horse holds himself back and is about to throw his weight on his hind quarters. If the spurs are driven in at this moment, they will send him forward in a disordered manner, no doubt ; but that does not matter, because they will have prevented him from fixing his hind legs on the ground. If the rider allows this critical moment to pass, the use of the spurs will be dangerous, because it will still further prompt the animal to rear.
t In the half-rear the rider ought to bring his body forward, keep his legs close to the animal's sides, hold his hands low, and leave the reins slack (Fig. 65). In this illustration, the off reins are lightly felt because I was try- ing to make the horse canter to the right on three legs. We can see that the near snaffle rein is quite loose.
8o ORDINARY RIDING.
round his neck and bring my head to the right ; consequently,, the horse's head was against my left shoulder. I subsequently saw the inconvenience of this position, in which one is too far forward on his neck when he brings his fore legs down on the ground. And as we are then obliged to give him his head, he is at liberty to send us over his ears by a strong kick with both hind legs, or to give us a blow in the face or chest with his head, in the event of his throwing it up.
From a very long experience I have found the following to be the best means of avoiding accidents which may happen from rearing. Separate the reins — as one should always do, when a horse rears — and take hold of the mane in the left hand at about the middle of the neck. When the horse stands up on end, bring the body well forward by the left arm ; and when he comes down again, push the body back into its place by quickly straightening that arm. If the animal makes another attempt at rearing, again bring the body forward, again push it back ; and so on, until he ceases to rear. From the moment we stop trying to make the horse go forward, we are able by this means to put up with the horse's rearing for any length of time without difficulty. If he kicks, our straightened-out arm will act as a prop, and if he springs to the right about or left about, it will furnish a support which will keep us in the saddle, and will enable us to avoid hanging on to the reins, which is the usual cause of accidents. I feel certain that the foregoing position is the best for keeping the rider in the saddle, when a horse rears, or, rather, it is the least bad, because the position of the rider is never good in such a case.
I havej^had good luck with regard to rearing ; for although I have ridden a great number of rearers, none of them has upset me.
I do not believe that horses voluntarily throw themselves backwards. As far as I can see, they simply lose their
HORSE MOUNTED— FIRST DEFENCES. 8i
balance. Usually the following happens : The horse by suddenly getting up, causes the body of the rider to go back- wards, which is sufficient to upset the animal. When a horse is standing up on his hind legs, he may be compared to the centre rod of a pair of scales which is in equilibrium ; and then the slightest movement of the body of the rider, whether forward or backward, forcibly draws the horse in the former direction or in the latter.
I have said that I do not believe that horses voluntarily throw themselves backwards. I mean that a horse will not deliberately throw himself backwards as a means of resist- ance. His instinct of self-preservation will be sufficient to prevent him doing this. But I know that horses which are suffering from disease of certain nervous centres fall back- wards, and sometimes dash their head against a wall. Here we have no concern with animals which are affected by a disease similar to madness in man, and which are unsuitable for any kind of work.
I have, however, broken, and seen broken by other breakers, horses which had immobility or megrims. But they were only violent and irritable, and their eyes became injected with blood if upset in the slightest. In fact, they had only the appearance of megrims. To succeed with such animals, we require to have all the good qualities of a breaker and rider, especially pluck.
Some horses which are affected with only a certain degree of immobilite can be broken. Gaulois, which was a superb Hanoverian horse, was supposed to suffer from this disease. I made him into an excellent school horse, and rode him for several years. It is true that Gaulois, like many other horses which are reputed to have iminobihti, showed symptoms of it only when he " played up."
I am greatly surprised that very few of all the authors who have written on equitation say nothing of the struggles which
82 ORDINARY RIDING.
one always has with horses to a lesser or greater extent. To believe many of them, the breaker is on a bed of roses, and if he will use only their methods, he will be certain to make the horse obey. What is the reason of this silence on their part ? Are they afraid to frighten their readers, or do they wish to make them believe that there are no struggles ? I cannot say ; but in any case it seems to me preferable to speak the whole truth, and to forewarn my readers of the accidents that may happen during breaking, so that they may not be surprised if the animal does not immediately submit to every demand.
I have seen a great number of good breakers at work, and they all had battles to fight ; Baucher more than any of the others, because he required more.
The true talent of the breaker consists in making himself master of the horse, especially in the event of a fight, by suppling him, and by the employment of a rational method of breaking ; because we must not forget that the horse always struggles against his rider, more or less openly, until his education is complete.
But we do not arrive at this result without more or less violent struggles. Those who have not had experience of these battles, upon the result of which depends the submission of the horse, begin by provoking the animal to resistance, but they do not dare to continue the attack. In this case the horse quickly understands that he is master. He will renew, as often as he likes, the form of defence which has served his purpose, and thanks to which he is certain to have the last word. This is the way to spoil the breaking.
My practice is altogether different. The moment the horse shows fight I shake hiin up vigorously, but rationally.* We should not tickle the horse with the spur, which would
* To stop a horse " playing up," lean Imck and lower the hands. Raising the hands, which will also raise the centre of gravity, will be certain to cause a fall.
c*
HORSE MOUNTED— FIRST DEFENCES. 83
only aggravate the animal's resistance. On the contrary, our attack on him .should be somewhat brutal, so that he rfia)^ immediately feel that his strength must )'ield to superior force. Here the real difficulty is to have the pluck to attack vigorously. Very few people make up their minds to do this, in which is the only means of security ; because the horse, astonished at the brutality of the attack, will submit, although, if lightly tickled with the spur, he will increase his resist- ance, and will soon get the best of his rider.
It is evident that whereas the attack should be vigorous, it should be made in as rational a way as practicable, that is to say, in a manner which will overcome the horse's defence by " oppositions."* But, I repeat, the chief thing above all others is the vigour, the energy of the rider. As regards myself, once in the struggle, I pay little heed to lateral or •diagonal equitation. I don't care if I increase the commo- tion ; my great point is to be master, and to make the horse ^ understand that his defence is in vain. To achieve this grand ' result, when a horse contents himself by merely indicating a resistance, I do not hesitate to provoke him to carry it out fully, so as to bring him to reason. Here is the true secret •of breaking, namely, to obtain the absolute submission of the horse. A horse's breaking is not definitely completed if he has made no show of resistance, because there may be struggles for supremacy in the future. The object of breaking is the destruction of the free will of the horse. As long as a breaker hesitates to provoke struggles which he feels are close at hand, and which he knows are inevitable, his breaking is not complete.
We must also say, in a general wa}', that the tact of the
* To make an " opposition " is to do an action contrary to that which the horse wishes to do. We succeed in this simply by combining the "aids," so as to oppose the forehand to the hind quarters, or the hind quarters to the forehand, namely, to carry one of them to one side, in order to throw the other on the opposite side
6*
84 ORDINARY RIDING.
breaker ought to consist, throughout the whole course of breaking, in discovering the defences which the horse is preparing, and in anticipating and counteracting them before they are made. This is more especially necessary in the properly-called defences of the horse, which are not always produced in the form of violent or unruly movements. It constantly happens during breaking, that the horse, in order to refuse to do what is asked of him, obstinately does what he was previously taught. This is the history of every lesson. During all the breaking, the defences of the horse are pro- duced alternately to the right and left. When, by the force of insistence, we have rendered one side supple, w^e may be greatly astonished to see the horse use, as a defence, what we have just taught him with much trouble, and to refuse to do that which he did without any hesitation the day before. In this case we must recommence the work and carry it on until obedience is equally obtained on both sides. If there is a difficulty in making such a horse canter with, for example^ the near fore leading, as soon as we make him do so, we will find that in every case he canters with that fore-leg leading, and refuses to lead with the off fore. In order to make him canter with the off fore leading, we must begin over again all the work we did in teaching him to canter with the near fore leading, and alternate these two forms of canter, while making him do the canter in which there is greater difficulty, more frequently than the other kind of canter. We should con- tinue in this way until obedience is perfect on both sides.
When a horse makes a defence always on the same side, we may be sure that he does so on account of pain or of faulty conformation.
Later on, when the breaking is more advanced, we shall see the horse use, for example, the Spanish trot as a defence against doing the passage or the piaffcr. In every case he will try a less energetic work, in order to escape from a more
TO HALT AND STAND STILL. 85
fatifruinsr one. The ruses of a horse are infinite. The breaker has to checkmate them b}- tact, art and energy.
THE WALK.
It is most important that a horse should walk with long, regular and free steps, which can be obtained only by allowing the animal great liberty of head and neck. If the horse is lazy or dull, he should be made to go on, by closing the legs. If he is impetuous, impatient, or fidgety, he should be patted on the neck and encouraged by the voice. He should be at once stopped if he begins to trot. No mistake should be made between the trot and jog, which are entirely different paces. Jogging, which is often adopted by the horse, is very difficult to correct when it has become a habit. It spoils the long striding walk, and is very fatiguing to the rider. Keeping the horse in hand shortens the steps of the walk, which become higher and shorter, according as the neck is raised and the head is brought into a vertical position. The same thing occurs in the trot and canter. The well-collected horse is handsome, but he does not cover much ground.
TO HALT AND STAND STH.L.
It is absolutel)' necessary to be able to stop the horse when one wishes. As a rule, the halt ought to be made pro- gressively and not abruptly. It can be made at any pace, and often even in cases when a sudden halt is indispensable.
The means for stopping the horse is always the same — namely, raise the snaffle reins while drawing them back with an equal feeling on both reins, so as to bring the weight on the hind quarters ; at the same time, close both legs strongly to bring the hocks under the animal's body, and feel the curb reins. The horse is then between the hands and legs.
I cannot say that these three movements should be abso- lutely simultaneous. They certainly come one after another,
86 ORDINARY RIDING.
but so closely together that the intervals are imperceptible. Anyhow, they ought to be executed in the order I have indi- cated. If, for instance, the movement of the legs precedes ever so little that of the snaffle, the effect will be to make the horse go forward, which will be the opposite to what is wanted.
This method of stopping the horse is the best and should be the only one used. The halt should be made without con- cussion. It is then painless for the rider, saves the horse's loins and hocks, and is easy, because the hocks and pasterns bend. To stop himself, the horse acts simultaneously with all the parts of his body, makes no local effort, and preserves all the elasticity of his loins, which bend and become slightly concave. If we stop the horse only by the hand, and without the help of the legs, the forehand will become arched in order to resist the impulsion received, and will push back the hind- quarters by a counter stroke in removing it from the centre. In this case the loins become stiff and convex. The shock which results- is painful for the rider, and often dangerous on account of its violence, and is very bad for the horse, on whom it inflicts pain in his mouth, shoulders, loins, and fetlocks.
A halt, no matter how sudden it may be, should be smooth;, if it is not so, it is badly executed.
The halt ought to be done by the same means at every pace. It is, of course, understood that the faster the speed, the more difficult is the halt, and the more should the rider lean back.
The horse ought not only stop himself as quickly as his rider wishes, but should also remain standing still as long as he is required, wherever he may be. It is somewhat difficult to make an impatient, nervous, or excitable horse stand still at this time. We should calm him down, so as to gradually accustom him to his surroundings. We .should begin in the school when we are alone, and should pat him on the neck and
CHANGES OF DIRECTION. ^y
speak to him. Each time lie wishes to advance or go side- ways, we should put him back in his place, and should not allow him to take a step in any direction. If we allow him to go to one side or the other, no matter how little, the first movement will probably be followed by a second one ; and so on. I repeat, that the best way to calm him down and get him to stand steady, is to pat him on the neck and speak kindly to him.
If the horse is alone and in an enclosed place, he will readily give in, but to teach him to stand steady in a street, we should bring other horses into the school and make them move about. When he stands steady under these conditions, we should renew the exercise outside, in some quiet place, and should then, little by little, try him in places where there is more traffic. I have already said that habit is every- thing for a horse. Therefore it is only necessary to accustom him to stand in the middle of the noise and movement of the street, and to make him understand that he will get pats on the neck for so doing.
After all, great gentleness, patience and gradual training are the best means for making a horse stand still in any place as long as we like.
CHANGES OF DIRECTION.
At first, all changes of direction should be taught at the walk.
To turn to the right, we should lightly draw the off snaffle rein with the right hand to the right, and ncjt towards our body, so as not to stop the horse.
We find that the animal slackens his pace when he turns ; because the forward reach of his shoulder which begins the movement is decreased, so that the off fore leg of the horse, if the turn is made to the right, covers only about half the distance of an ordinary step. This period of arrest causes
88 ORDINARY RIDING.
the croup to swerve, because it cannot go forward, notwith- standing its acquired impulsion. But if, at the moment when the animal yields his head and neck to the pull of the right rein, we slacken the hand, while supporting the legs, we thereby force the right leg to take a pace as long as usual, and shall consequently avoid the period of arrest, by obliging the croup to follow the shoulders.
The rider can thus straighten the croup when it swerves in turning, and can do it easily, because he feels to what side the swerve is made, and consequently knows which leg to employ. As we do not know to which side the deviation of the croup may be made, w^e would run a great risk of making a mistake, if we were to say in advance what leg we ought to employ.
The question of using the outward or inward leg in turning has been greatly discussed. The old school recom- mended the inward leg, because they said that it helped the turning movement. Baucher maintained, on the contrary, that we ought to use the outward leg, so as to prevent the hind quarters being swung round to the outside.
The practice of Baucher has been generally adopted. The old teachers were wrong. They said that to turn to the right, the rider had to bring the animal's shoulders to the right by feeling the right rein, and to push the hind quarters to the left by the right leg. This is lateral equitation in all its beauty. But the}' did not take into consideration the fact that the direction, not only of the shoulders, but of the entire horse, had to be changed, and that consequently the animal should remain straight.
The following is the simple solution of this problem. We should appl}' an equal pressure of both legs. Then, if the horse swings his hind-quarters round to one side, we can keep them straight b)' the pressure of the outward leg. The hind-quarters ought to follow the track of the
CHANGES OF DIRECTION, 89
forehand without deviating from it in the sHghtest degree The horse ought ahvays to keep his liuid-quarters in the same direction as the shoulders. It is the rider's business to decide whether he should apply a more or less strong pressure with one leg or with the other leg, according as the horse swerves to one side or the other.
As a general rule, when we turn to the right, the hind- quarters are inclined to swing round too much to the left ; and vice versa. Therefore, unless in exceptional cases, we ought to apply the outward leg somewhat more strongly than the inward one when we turn.
In turning, the action of the leg, the office of which is to prevent any deviation of the croup, should never precede that of the hand, but should immediately follow it.
Another way is at first to turn the croup inwards, by doing which, the movement of the head, and immediately afterwards that of the neck and shoulders, is made difficult. Besides, the arched condition of the croup and shoulders will prompt the horse to resist the action of the rein.
We occasionally meet horses which naturally or by habit go sideways. In this case, they always bring their croup to the same side. If, for instance, they carry it to the right, that is to say, inwards, when we turn them to the right, we shall be obliged to apply the inward (right) leg more strongly than the outward one. But if, in turning such a horse to the left, he continues to carry his croup to the right, a stronger application will have to be given by the outward (right) leg. Therefore, with the same animal we may some- times have to apply the inward, and at other times, the outward leg.
To get the horse to readily change direction, and to give him the required mobility, we should make him perform in the school, different exercises, such as doubters^ voltes, demi- voltes, and changes of hand.
90
ORDINARY RIDING.
The doublcr is a straight Hnc which we take, either across or down the centre of the school, after having started from some spot in the wall. Having arrived at the opposite wall, we turn, and continually go on to the same hand. (Fig. 25).
|
k ....... |
Fig. 25. — Doiibkr.
The volte is a circle which we describe on some point. But, at the beginning, it is best to do the volte b\' leaving the end of one of the long sides o{ the school. As a horse has always a tendenc}' to enlarge the circle, he will keep in bounds b\' the angle formed b}- the two walls which face him. (Fig- 26).
CHANGES OF DIRECTION.
91
The demi-volte is made in the middle of one of the small sides of the school. As it finishes on two tracks, we should not ask the horse to do it before teaching him to move on two tracks, which I will explain further on. (Fig. 27).
Whatever may be the pace at which the demi-volte is
Fig. 26. — Volte.
made, the shoulders should be the first to leave, and to arrive at, the wall ; that is to say, the horse should always remain on an oblique line. The demi-volte is usually done in a very incorrect manner. Nothing is rarer than a well- executed demi-volte.
It often happens that the rider uses his outward leg too
92
ORDINARY RIDING.
much in a change of direction, or that the horse, of his own accord, carries his croup to the inside, or simply goes down the centre. To remedy this, we should start, as for a demi- volte, from the usual place ; but should continue to " double," while taking care to keep the horse very straight. If this
Oemi- volte to the right
Fig. 27. — Demi-volte.
does not suffice, we should deceive the animal by a demi- volte ; thus doing, as I term it, a counter-demi-volte. (Fig. 27.) We start, for instance, to the right, as for a demi-volte ; but having arrived at the middle of the school, we finish the demi- volte to the left on two tracks. The horse, who was wanting to carry his croup to the right, is obliged to carry it to the left by the vigorous action of the right leg, which at first was
CHANGES OF DIRECTION.
95
the inward leg, but which in this manoeuvre becomes the out- ward one. There is no better exercise than this for keeping the horse always straight and attentive ; because, by alternating the demi-voltes and the counter-demi-voltes, it is impossible for him to become " routined."
Fig. 28. — Diagonal change of hand.
There are three changes of hand. The most simple is the diagonal chajige of hand, in which we go along one of the diagonals of the school, on leaving the wall at the beginning of one of the long sides. (Fig. 28.)*
* If we start diagonally at the end of one of the long sides of the school, we will cross the school from one angle to the other, without having changed the. hand.
94
ORDINARY RIDING.
To do the second or reversed cliange of hand, we start as in the preceding movement, from one of the angles of the school, always beginning at one of the long sides ; but having arrived at the centre, we return by a half circle to the wall of the long side which we left, and which we, of course, take on the left
Fig. 29. — Reversed change of hand.
hand, if we had it on the right hand, and vice versa (Fig. 29.)
The counter-change of hand is the most complicated one. In doing it, we start by entering the long side on two tracks, and, having arrived at the centre of the school, we return to the other end of the long side from which we started, while
CHANGES OF DIRECTION.
95
keeping on two tracks for the whole time. At the canter, this movement requires two changes of leg, the first in the middle of the school, and the second at the wall. If the rider is going on the right, as in Fig. 30, he will begin at the canter with the off fore leading. Having arrived at the centre of the
Fig. 30. — Counter-change of hand.
school, he will make the horse change, and canter with the near fore leading, up to the wall, where he will make him change to the off fore. We can see that in the counter-change of hand there is no change of hand.
In a like manner we describe circles and figures of 8 in the middle of the school. This is the best kind of work for sup-
96 ^ ORDINARY RIDING.
pling the horse, and is also the most certain means for making the rider use his two legs in a timely way.
We do not learn to always keep our horse straight by con- tinually " going large " ; because in this case the croup can swerve only to one side. Also, I often work my horses, while keeping them at one yard, and in large schools, at two yards from the wall
We may further note that during the entire period of breaking, the horse tries to keep as little straight as possible. He will understand that if he carries his croup to one side he will escape being collected, which consists in the hind quarters propelling the body in the direction of its axis.
The best work for suppling the horse is the figure of 8 per- formed a yard from the wall, at the walk, trot and canter; but it should be done with the greatest possible correctness, namely, with a light inward flexion of the neck, an energetic applica- tion of the outw^ard leg, and support from the inward leg.
By preparing a horse to readily change the diagonal at the walk, we also prepare him to start into the canter, and to change his leg. On arriving at the centre, we make the horse take two or three steps to the side, and we start him in the required position on a new diagonal. We should take great care to keep him straight, especially at the canter, because at this delicate work, the horse has always a tendency to throw his croup inwards, so as to escape the outward spur, which has helped to straighten him, and against which he tries to guard himself Hence the necessity, as I have recommended, of opposing the inward leg. Finally, we can obtain impulsion only by closing both legs.
LATERAL FLEXIONS.
Up to the present I have made the changes of direction only in a rudimentary way. In the same manner, as my first lesson was to drive the horse forward, I only require him at
LATERAL FLEXIONS.
97
first, for the changes of direction, to turn and follow the line on which I place him. In every case I go from simple things to complicated ones. When the horse unresistantly obe}-s everything, from the first indication to all the changes of direction, we ha\-e to solve the new problem of displacing the
■f^^g- 31- — Preparation for lateral flexion ; jaw contracted.
entire body of the horse, while keeping it in equilibrium and lightness. Lateral flexion is the preparation for the movement thus executed. To make the lateral flexion to the right,* for instance, we should stand at the near shoulder of the horse, and take the bridoon reins in the left hand and the bit reins
* We may note that I here recommence the work on foot. I always practise the foot work and the mounted vsork in the same lesson.
98 ORDINARY RIDING.
in the right, in exactly the same manner as for the direct flexion ; and, having placed the hand and neck in the same position as we would do for the direct flexion, we make that flexion. When the jaw is relaxed and the flexion complete, we push the head of the horse to the right, by light pressures of the left hand on the bridoon reins, which we hold high, and drawn from rear to front, in order to prevent both the lowering of the neck and any tendency which the horse may have to get behind his bit.*
At the same time, the right hand lightly feels the curb reins from behind, while carrying itself to the right in such a manner as to principally tighten the right rein,t until, the lateral flexion of the neck to the poll being complete ; the tw^o reins of the curb acting equally in giving and maintaining the play of the jaw (Figs. 31 and 32 ), which ought to be the same as in direct flexion.
At the beginning, we ought to be content with even the appearance of obedience, and we should not want the horse to do more than to turn his head slightly, while opening his mouth. We must practise him very often at this work, and try to progress by requiring more exactness each time in these suppling exercises. We will certainly finish in obtain- ing complete flexion, by never employing force and con- tenting ourselves with a small degree of progress at each lesson.
In equitation we obtain much by requiring only a little at
* See Fig. 31, preparation for lateral flexion, jaw contracted; Fig. 32, lateral flexion, jaw relaxed.
t The left rein of the curb, however, remains slightly tense. If the right rein only acts, it will pull the muzzle, and the head will no longer be in a vertical position.
We may note that I give here the first lesson of obedience to the two similar impulsions in the changes of direction. Up to this I have used the right rein only to turn to the right. I now begin to teach the horse toobey the two simul- taneous impulsions acting in the same direction, namely, the near snaflle rein which pushes, and the off" curb rein which pulls, both acting from left to right.
LATERAL FLEXIONS.
99
a time. Patience then, and no roughness, which will always prevent us from obtaining our end.
The exact position for the lateral flexion is the same as for
Y\g. 32. — Lateral flexion ; jaw relaxed.
the direct flexion, except that the neck, while remaining flexed at the poll, from front to rear, is also bent to one side (always at the poll), in such a manner that the direction of the head is perpendicular to what it was in direct flexion,
7*
loo ORDINARY RIDING.
and faces the side upon which the flexion was made. The neck, of course, remains high, as in direct flexion, the muzzle being at the height of the upper part of the shoulder, and the head in, or a little beyond, the perpendicular *
(Fig- 33)-
Thus, as we have seen by the right flexion, this flexion is generally done in quite a different manner. The onl}- way to find out what the lateral flexion ought to be, is to consider the result we wish to obtain from it.
OBJECT.S OF LATER.A.L FLEXION.S.
1. To preserve, by the high position of the neck, the equili- brium of direct flexion in changes of direction.
2. To strengthen and bind the entire forehand in the changes of direction, by arranging all the parts in such a manner as. to make the whole as compact and supple in the turning move- ments, as in the direct movements.
In changes of direction, the shoulders naturall}' cover the ground, while the hind quarters give the propulsion ; but
* In doing the lateral flexion we should take care not to alter the distribution of weight. To counterbalance the effect of the flexion, the horse has a natural tendency to make an opposition with the shoulder of the side away from which the head is turned, and to put the weight of the forehand on the left leg if the head is bent to the right. This is inevitable as long as the jaw resists, but the moment it yields, its flexion, involving that of the neck, brings about an equal distribution of weight on both legs. If we allow the horse to contract the habit of opposing the shoulder of the side opposite to the flexion, the equilibrium, and consequently the lightness, will be destroyed. In changes of direction, as in movements on two tracks, the shoulder of the side opposite to that of the flexion will always be late. The great difficulty in these exercises is to make this shoulder move. Hence we should always try to relieve it by making only a slight bend, whilst the snaffle rein of the side opposite to the change transfers the weight to the inward shoulder (which has less ground to cover), by throwing the weight at each stride to the side towards which the animal is proceeding. This method enables us to obtain great propulsion in work on two tracks. A too complete flexion will stop this propulsion by overloading the outward shoulder. At first one is always astonished to learn that the flexion to the right overloads the near shoulder, which is the natural result of the attempt made by the horse to counterbalance the effort demanded of him.
OBJECTS OF LATERAL FLEXIONS. loi
the rider has no direct action on the shoulders. He acts only on the neck through the mouth, and on the shoulders through the neck. Lateral flexion, by strengthening and binding all the parts together, places them in a state of reciprocal dependence, which enables the rider to act on the entire forehand. Without flexion, the fishing-rod, as I have alread}' said, will be held by the thin end ; that is to say.
Fig. 33. — Correct lateral flexion.
there will be a heavy head (because it is far from the centre of gravity) at the end of a slack neck. The action of the reins, instead of directing the mass, is therefore limited to bringing the head towards the forehand, which remains fixed on the ground, in proportion as the horse is on his shoulders.
3. To preserve lightness in the cJianges of direction by the flexion of tJie jazv.
In all movements, impulsion makes the horse a single whole.
I02 ORDINARY RIDING.
It is the hind quarters zvhich, by getting imder the centre, bind themselves to the forehand * If all this propulsion was accu- mulated on the bars of the flexed and movable lower jawf — which should be connected to the entire forehand in such a way that the flexibility! of the arm of the lever would be always increasing from the shoulders to the jaw — the hands, both in the changes of direction and in direct movements, would send back with extreme lightness § to the legs, a part of the propulsion which they have received from them. We can thus make the entire body of the horse into an energetic and harmonious whole by the good equilibrium of the levers, and by the well-regulated use of the forces in changes of direction. We will thus obtain lightness, and will continue to have the horse in hand in all the changes of direction.
In the foregoing remarks I have described what I consider to be the nature and object of lateral flexion, and have tried, as in the description of direct flexion, to give reasons for my practice. Unfortunately the greater number of those who teach horses flexions, do the work in a hap-hazard way, without accurately understanding the nature of the result which they ought to try to obtain.
I must say that Baucher did not give a better account of the mechanism of lateral flexion, than he did of direct flexion. Or, rather, he committed the same fault in lateral
* Many authors speak of connecting the forehand to the hind quarters, which is an absurdity, because the hind quarters throw themselves on the forehand during propulsion. The " aids " keep the body in good position by restraining or regulating the force which comes from the hocks.
t When the jaw does not yield, nothing yields, and the horse changes his position all in one piece during the changes of direction. He turns like a boat.
\ The only lateral movement in lateral flexion is done Ijy the poll ; the jaw bends exactly as in direct flexion.
§ In lateral flexion, as in direct flexion, we should work the levers in such a manner as to obtain the maximum effect l)y a minimum effort.
OBJECTS OF LATERAL FLEXIONS. 103
flexion as in direct flexion, because the latter is a prej^aration for the former. This faulty flexion, which is adopted by those who have followed him, is made at the withers instead of at the poll. Here, again, as in direct flexion, we find the exciting cause of the lowering of the neck, which changes a useful exercise into an injurious one. In it the head is low, the bend of the neck is at the withers instead of at the poll, and the head of the horse is in profile instead of facing one.
Fig. 34. — Incorrect lateral flexion,
A comparison of Fig, 34 (wrong flexion) with Fig. 33 (correct flexion) shows us at a glance the advantages of the lateral flexion which I ha\-e described, and the faults of the flexion which is commonly practised. To complete this criticism, I need only repeat all what I have said about the wTong method of direct flexion and its faults.
We need not be surprised that flexions have been blamed for softening the neck ; that is to say, for rendering it movable, independently of the remainder of the body, which
104 ORDINARY RIDING.
is precisely the result of lateral flexion at the withers ; whilst lateral flexion at the poll, on the contrary, stiffens the neck, and binds all the forehand in such a manner as to displace it from the whole, which is an indispensable result, as I have explained, because the rider has no direct action on the shoulders. Head low and isolated from the body by a movable neck, which yields of itself without drawing the shoulders, and allows the horse to oppose every movement of the neck by a movement of the shoulders in an opposite direction, with consequent impossibility of directing the fore- hand, and the results of a lateral flexion at the withers and of a lowering of the neck which follows it.
Contrary to direct flexion (which I never practise, either on foot or mounted, except when going forward), lateral flexion at first is done on foot, when the horse is standing still, on account of the difficulty of putting the hind quarters in movement. In mounted work, I practise lateral flexion only when going forward. I make it an absolute rule, once I am mounted, never to ask my horse anything except when he is advancing, and I have consequently avoided making my school horses inclined to get behind their bit, which is the usual danger in high school breaking.*
In mounted work, lateral flexion is made by the same mechanism as on foot. In order to bend the neck to the right, the near snaffle rein, tightened and drawn to the right, keeps the head high, and, being pressed against the upper part of the neck, it pushes the head from left to right, while the off curb rein, slightly tightened, aids this movement, and loosens the jaw (Fig. 35).
* I have already said that a high position of the neck can be obtained only during forward progression, and that the reason I keep the necks of my horses very high is because I continue to drive them forward during all the work I give them. In fact, the greater the forward impulsion, the more do the hind (juarlers get under the centre, and the more is the forehand lightened.
OBJECTS OF LATERAL FLEXIONS. 105
As the first care of the rider should be to keep his animal straight, he should use both legs to obtain impulsion, the leg of the side opposite to the bend of the neck being applied more strongly than the other leg.
When the legs act simultaneously, they are agents of pro- pulsion ; but when one acts stronger than the other, it is an
^'g- 35- — Correct lateral flexion when mounted.
agent of direction. One leg should never act by itself : the simultaneous action of both legs is propulsion ; the pre- dominance of one over the other is direction. Finally, as the hands are much more effective for guiding than the legs, they should be used in a very light manner.
- The fundamental error of Baucher's lateral flexion is as well marked in mounted work as in foot work. Compare Fig. 36, which I have taken from Baucher's book, with Fig. 35, which represents correct flexion.
io6
ORDINARY RIDING.
Fig. 37) taken from a recent book, shows clearh- that many persons of the present day who claim to practise lateral flexion have no idea of its mechanism or object.
Fig. 36. — Baucher's lateral flexion when niountecl.
The lateral flexion I have described is a suppling exercise, whether it is done on foot or when mounted, and
OBJECTS OF LATERAL FLEXIONS.
107
is of great importance. Equilibrium, lightness and mobility depend on the flexions and on getting the horse in hand, and until he has learned all this, it would be folly to ask for more. It is therefore of the highest importance to make the lateral flexion complete, so as to obtain extreme obedience from the horse.
Fig. 37. — Incorrect lateral flexion.
But when we practise lateral flexion in later work (changes of direction, work on two tracks, etc.), we ought to content ourselves with a very slight lateral flexion of the neck,* which, like the head, should always be well placed. We can understand that a too strongly accentuated flexion checks the effect of propulsion by throwing all the weight on the outward shoulder.
* As long as the jaws work we have lightness, and the slightest indication is sufficient for changes of direction.
io8 ORDINARY RIDING.
The suppling exercise, which we term lateral flexion, is not the less necessary, because it demands much in order to obtain little. But we must recognise the fact that in later work it is enough to obtain a slight bend of the neck, provided that the head and neck are always well placed, and above all things that the jaw is loose.
Fig. 38. — Lateral effects in rotation of croup and shoulders.
ROTATION OF THE CROUP AND SHOULDERS.
When I have successively made the horse readil}' }'ie]d to the whip, and to perform the lateral flexions with equal facility, I have then to combine both these movements into a single movement.
I have at first taught him to )deld to the \\hip from left to right, while helping the movement with the near snaffle rein, which draws the head to the left, so as to carry the croup to the right. This work is called " lateral effects " (Fig. 38); because the two effects are produced on the same side (left rein and whip to the left). Having done this, I succeed,
ROTATION OF CROUP AxXD SHOULDERS. 109
little by little, in making the horse give A\iiy, by holding the head straight (Fig. 39), which is called a " direct effect." Now it is necessar)' for him to yield, by adopting '' diagonal effects " in the same way, namely, with the whip on the left and th-e flexion on the right (Fig. 40).* For that purpose, without using the snaffle rein, the end of which is in m)' left
1 ig- 39- — Direct eft'ects in rotation of croup and shoulders.
hand,f I catch hold of the near curb rein, quite close to the mouth, with the left hand, while the right hand, at the height
* I have already explained that lateral equitation is only a preparation for diagonal equitation, which is the only rational method, and by which alone we can obtain combined effects. Everyone understands that the action of the rider should be effected diagonally, for the simple reason that the movements of the horse are produced diagonally.
t For the better explanation of the action of the reins, I have omitted the snaffle in Fig. 40.
I may remind my readers that the proper way to hold the ends of the snaffle reins is to have the buckle in the hollow of the hand (Figs. 38 and 39).
no
ORDINARY RIDING.
of the horse's breast, holds both the whip and the off rehi, for which the withers act as a pulley (Fig. 40). The horse will then make the direct flexion. I then try to obtain the beginning of the right lateral flexion by raising the head by means of slight upward jerks on the curb, and by pressing the head to the right, while at the same time I make the croup give way by working the whip from left to right.
Fig. 40. — Diagonal effects in rotation of croup and shoulders.
Finally, I increase these effects, until the yielding of the neck, jaw and croup is complete.
I thus succeed in making the horse pivot, while I do the complete lateral flexion.
I purposely use the word " pivot," which expresses m\' idea in an incomplete manner, but which accurately discribes Baucher's method of doing this rotation. In fact, during the rotation of the croup, according to his plan, the forehand
ROTATION OF CROUP AND SHOULDERS, iii
remains stationary and serves as a pivot, which I have found to be a mistake. During breaking, none of the parts of the horse should be stationary, because immobihty often degener- ates into a means of defence. Therefore, instead of making the horse pivot, I tr}- to make him describe a very small circle with the forehand round the centre, and a large concentric circle round it with the hind quarters.
Of course, I do not pass abruptly from lateral effects to direct effects, or from direct effects to diagonal effects. On the contrary, I go imperceptibly from one to the other, so that the horse may well understand what I want him to do, and that he may not evince any surprise or confusion. The employment of lateral effects has been a preparatory step towards the execution of the movement by direct effects. In the same way, direct effects are only a preparatory measure for diagonal effects.
This work would be of no use if its only object was to make the horse give way to the whip. Its great end is, with- out frightening the horse, to prepare him to obey the legs at first, and the spurs subsequently and by degrees.
We now come to mounted work, which I do by again passing from lateral effects to direct effects, and from direct effects to diagonal effects, as during work on foot.
If, when in the middle of the school, I wish to obtain the rotation of the croup {reversed pirouette^ from the left to the right, I bring my left heel close to the animal's side. As a green horse does not know what I wish him to do, his first movement will be to lean against my leg, at which movement the good effect of the preceding work will come to my aid. I touch him lightly with my whip on the left side, as near as possible to my heel, and I avoid above all things touching him too far back, which would be almost certain to make him kick. At the same time I use the left snaffle rein to make him carry his croup to the right. I can assure my readers
112 ORDINARY RIDING.
that no horse will resist these indications, if they are gently employed.
I use the near snaffle rein according to the amount of resistance which the horse often makes at first. I draw the head a little more to the left, while continuing to touch the animal's side with the heel and whip if the resistance is great. The horse is forced to yield to these three forces acting on the same side.
As soon as the horse takes a step to the right, I stop him and pat him on the neck. I then let him go quietly round the school, in order that he may think over what he has just done. It is most important always to let a horse be free and quiet after he has obeyed. A horse will accept this as a reward, which we should not be chary in giving him. Stop- page of work and pats on the neck are the only means to make him understand that he has done well. We are so often obliged to have recourse to punishment during breaking, that we ought to eagerly seize the opportunity of patting him on the neck, when he shows the slightest sign of obedience. The more we pat him on the neck, the less will we be forced to f)unish him.*
As I have just said, by letting the horse walk at ease for a few moments, we give him time to understand the movement which he has just done and the indications which cause him to do it. Apparently the horse yields only physically, but in reality it is his intelligence, or, to speak more correctly, his memory to which we appeal. We must therefore work on his memory, and for that reason I allow him the necessary time to permanently remember this fact.
Having let the horse go quietly round the school, I do the
* The greal art in breaking is to reward and punish in an appropriate manner in order to do which we must seize the exact moment of obedience or resistance. Here we must bear in mind the fundamental principle of breaking, namely, that reward should follow obedience as quickly as punishment follows disobedience.
ROTATION OF CROUP AND SHOULDERS. 113
same exercise over again, twenty or thirty times, without changing the side, until he obeys the moment I close my heel to his side. I then give him similar work with the right leg.
When the horse accurately obeys both legs, I put on dummy spurs (stump spurs), in order to accustom him to obey something more severe than the heel. Then, each day I increase the effect of the leg, while diminishing that of the whip, which I gradually discard.* Later on I come to the spur.
I use the whip, only to aid the memory of the horse, and to induce him to obey the spur without frightening him. We should not forget that the effect of a touch of the spur on a green horse at the beginning of the breaking, is exactly similar to that of the sting of a fly, which he at first tries to drive away with his tail. If he does not succeed in this, he will cow-kick on the side he is pricked. If the insect does not fly away, he will look out for some object, such as a wall or tree, upon which to lean or lie, in order to crush the author of his sufferings, the fly. Therefore, when we give him the first touch of the spur, how can we expect that his first move- ment will not be to cow-kick or to lean against a wall ?
We may see that it is a grave mistake to use the spur with- out having prepared the horse for it, by making him succes- sively obey the whip, leg, heel and dummy spur.
If we spur a horse which is neither prepared for nor accustomed to it, he will not understand its meaning, and will not obey. If we try to force him to do so, he, not knowing w^hat we want him to do, and feeling the pain which we inflict on him, will instinctively defend himself. The more severe the attack, the more stubborn will be the resistance at first, and
* I have already said that I discard the whip when mounted, and I take it up again only to make the horse obey the leg and to obtain the first extension of the legs in the Spanish trot. In both cases I continue the use of the whip for only two or three lessons.
8
114 ORDINARY RIDING.
the more energetic the subsequent defence. If the horse is soft, he will lean against the spur ; but if he is impetuous, he will immediately make a most violent defence, and the break- ing will have failed in every way. Some animals will become restive, others will become maddened at the mere approach of the leg, and the breaker, instead of having taught anything, will have rendered education impossible.
It is always thus in breaking, the great difficulty being to make the horse understand what we want him to do. As we can appeal only to his memory,* the means which we employ with him should be simple, and should be invariably the same.
In riding, the horse ought to be taught to understand that the spur is simply an " aid," and that it becomes a punish- ment only when he plays up.*f-
Many persons who have only a superficial knowledge of equitation imagine that, instead of touching the horse behind the girths with the spur, it is more rational to keep the knee tightly pressed against the flap of the saddle, and by drawing back the heel to spur the horse on the side. Nothing can be more faulty than this method, by which the spur slides along a large extent of the side. By it we succeed only in tickling the animal and provoking him to defend himself, and we are unable to spur him with sufficient power to drive him forward and to paralyse his defence. The further back the
* For this reason, I have already said that in the same lesson we must care- fully avoid requiring the horse to do two or more things which might confuse him. As his comprehension is very slow, we ought to guard against perplexing him.
t It often happens that the horse throws himself on the spur, sometimes to one side and sometimes to the other. In this case we ought to effectively correct him with the spur, for which object I place him in the middle of the school, and drive my heel and spur into his rebellious side, so as to make him bring it round. When he has thus made two or three pirouettes, I stop and begin again the work I left off. If he again resists, I recommence the work, until he has thoroughly iven in.
ROTATION OF CROUP AND SHOULDERS. 115
spur is drawn away from the i^irths, the nearer it approaches the most tickHsh spot. In fact, horses are not tickhsh near the girths, but all of them are ticklish further back.
Besides, in this kind of attack, the lower part of the leg cannot remain close to the animal's side, because the foot swings backwards and forwards ; the result being that the attack is sudden, instead of the horse being prepared for it by a gradual pressure of the leg. It should, on the contrary, be capable of being regulated with precision, so that it can be light, well-marked, or extremely severe, according to the resistance offered by the horse to the indications given by the rider's legs.
When spurring a horse just behind the girths, the knee should be turned a little outwards, so that the spur, like a sword, may be brought at right angles to the side, progres- sively and with certainty. The scratching and fraying form of attack is made without precision and by jerks.
Those who believe that the fact of the knee being slightly turned outwards diminishes the firmness of the rider's seat, should be taught that the rider gets his strongest grip by means of the upper and back part of the calf of the leg. Therefore the position which the leg occupies when it spurs the horse just behind the girths, is the one which is most favourable to the rider's firmness of seat.*
Gripping too tightly with the knees pushes the thighs upwards, and causes the rider to be more or less raised out of the saddle.
By gripping with the hollow of the leg just behind the knee, we have, on the contrary, perfect adherence from the buttock to the heel. Besides, we can do fine work with the horse only
* The fact that all beginners and had riders instinctively assume this position, in order to get the greatest possible firmness of seat, prevents them from being able to use the spurs. Besides, every rider instinctively adopts this position when his horse plays up.
8*
ii6 ORDINARY RIDING.
by always keeping the heels close to his sides. With the knees and toes turned inwards, the heels are too far from the sides, and can work only by jerks. Good horsemanship cannot be practised without progressive and delicate!}' effected transitions.
When the horse readily yields to the legs, I change the feeling on the reins b}- degrees. It is always necessary to finally place the head of the horse on the side to which it is directed. Nevertheless, the change should be made so gradually that the animal will not notice it.
At first he wall yield to my leg only when I use it,