THE SPANISH WALK. 243 



horse to bear the touch of the spurs without hardly advancing, 

 is always dangerous. It often makes a horse restive, in which 

 case the method is almost always blamed, although it would 

 be safer to blame the manner of its application. Besides, it 

 is also difficult for a riding master who is breaking his first 

 horse or his first horses, to avoid making them get behind 

 their bit. Very often a horse has this tendency without the 

 breaker perceiving it. As a general rule, if a horse does not 

 go up to his bridle, he has this fault. Hence my motto is 

 " forward, always forward, and again forward ! " 



I admit that we can never obtain a concession from a horse 

 without a more or less lively struggle, but we must not forget 

 that a man's authority over a horse is dependent on this 

 struggle.* If we require a difficult thing from a horse 

 without having prepared him sufficiently, not only will there 

 be a struggle, but — which is a much more serious thing — the 

 horse will win. We should, therefore, know the precise 

 instant when each demand can be made. This is a question 

 of tact. 



If we put a horse to some work for w^iich he has been 

 badly prepared, we may be certain that we shall not be 

 successful. Without a proper preparation the horse will 

 certainly resist. 



The same work can be demanded later on without any 

 trouble. It is better to try to break a horse in a year than in 

 six months. The more difficult a horse is, the more time 

 should be devoted to his education. If it is necessary, we 

 may take six months to balance him well in his three natural 

 paces, and to make him to rein back correctly before teaching 

 him high-school work and artificial movements. 



I would attach no importance to the Spanish walk, if I were 



* It is well to note that after each stormy lesson, if the man is the victor, the 

 horse's docility will be well marked in the following lessons. There is no 

 exception to this rule. 



16* 



