ROTATION OF CROUP AND SHOULDERS. 117 



also give to the shoulders the greatest possible mobility, which 

 is an indispensable quality for every kind of work. 



We can exert no direct action on the shoulders, as we can 

 on the mouth and hind quarters. The impulsion to put them 

 in movement is given by the hind quarters, which are put in 

 action by our legs ; and the direction is given by the mouth, 

 which receives the indication of the reins. 



I shall now describe how I make the shoulders rotate, 

 namely, how I do the pirouette from left to right. 



Having halted the horse in the middle of the school, I 

 carry both hands to the right and close the legs, in order to 

 prevent a retrograde movement ; the left leg being pressed 

 more strongly to the side than the right leg, so as to prevent 

 the horse from bringing his hind quarters round to the left. I 

 work the snaffle reins simultaneously with the legs, the off 

 rein being lightly drawn to the right, but not backwards, 

 while the near rein pushes the shoulders to the right. The 

 near rein performs another office, as follows : If the horse> 

 having carried his shoulders to the right, wishes to throw his 

 hind quarters to the left, a slight pull of the near rein gives 

 immediate help to the left leg to keep the croup in its place, 

 by carrying the head more or less to the left, according to 

 the extent the hind quarters have swung round to the left. 



At the beginning we should make a large circle rather than 

 a small one, which would be a true pirouette. In this way 

 we keep the horse in hand, and we easily prevent him getting 

 behind the bit, which we should always take the utmost 

 care to do. 



The absolute necessity of avoiding any tendency in the 

 horse to get behind his bit, makes it dangerous during the 

 first period of breaking to teach, simple or reversed pirouettes, 

 which are excellent exercises for both man and horse, when 

 they are sufficiently advanced in their education. 



The reversed pirouette has the great fault of leaving the 



