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 



