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 '■'■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. 



