158 ORDINARY RIDING. 



is not so. I have met as many right-footed horses as left- 

 footed ones. We can find out which he is by working him ; 

 for there is nothing in his conformation that would enable us 

 to decide that question.* 



As a right-footed horse will remain all his life much more 

 supple and easy to the right ; the left side will naturally be 

 the one to which we should work him in flexions, side steps, 

 voltes, canter, etc. ; and vice versa. 



Before requiring the horse to do more, I wait till he can 

 canter as readily with one leg as with the other, while 

 keeping him straight all the time. I then try to get him 

 completely in hand, which I certainly will not be able to do 

 at the canter, if I have not first made his mouth supple and 

 light at all paces and during all the preceding exercises. 



The best definition of the action of the " aids " in the 

 present case, is that the hands make the walk and the legs 

 the canter — namely, that whilst the legs press the horse with 

 energy, the hands lightly restrain him. He then finds 

 himself controlled by two opposing actions ; propulsion being 

 the dominating one. They oblige him to raise himself and 

 canter. 



The riding master will find that he has attained his object 

 when the horse canters slowly without effort, and, above all 

 things, without trying to escape from the hand.f 



* All Arab horses are left-footed, with respect to the fact that they always 

 turn to the left and never to the right, which peculiarity is simply the result of 

 education. If we place ourselves on the right of an Arab horseman, he cannot 

 touch us. He must turn to the left-about in order to reach us. 



t Almost all authors advise that when a horse pulls at the canter, he should be 

 stopped and made to rein back, than which nothing is less rational. A horse 

 pulls because his hocks are far from the centre of the body. In making him rein 

 back we push the hocks still further to the rear, and we directly counteract the object 

 we desire to attain. On the contrary, without stopping the horse, we should press 

 him well up to the bridle with the legs, should keep him in hand while he is 

 moving forward, should make him do movements as a whole, and take and give 

 with the hands and legs in order to collect him, which is the only means for 



