250 HIGH-SCHOOL RIDING. 



quiet ; for we are going to require from him two times, one 

 after the other ; because one time will not be a school move- 

 ment, and will not give him any indication. 



I exert a very light pressure of the right leg, which causes 

 the horse to raise his right hind leg, as if to make a side step to 

 the left, but at the moment this leg comes close to the left hind, 

 and before it is placed on the ground, a pressure of my left leg 

 pushes it back into its place, and at the same time makes the 

 horse raise his left hind, which he places by the side of the 

 right hind, as if he were taking a side step to the right. 



If the rider does not catch with precision the moment when 

 the horse is going to put down his right leg, this leg will touch 

 the ground without the rider having pushed it back to the 

 right by the action of his left leg. Under these conditions, the 

 right leg of the horse will be placed quite close to his left leg, 

 •and they will not be sufficiently separated for him to make a 

 small rocking movement. 



The rider should be content with these two first steps until 

 the horse does them very steadily, and then he should demand 

 them the reverse way, namely, from left to right. He should 

 wait until later on to do four, and should increase the number 

 gradually. I recommend the breaker not to try to obtain a 

 -great separation of the feet before the horse rocks in a very 

 regular manner. 



The spur has to be used, in order to obtain as great a sepa- 

 ration as possible, so to give more vigour to the movement. 



When rocking the haunches, the horse has a natural tendency 

 to carry his head low, which at first I allow him to do to a 

 -certain extent, because he will thus lighten the hind quarters. 

 As soon as he knows the work, I make him hold his head 

 in the position which a school horse should always do.* 



* With the head low a horse is never graceful and light. All horses which 

 are broken by means of the cutting whip adopt the faulty position of having the 

 croup high, the reason being that by striking the croup with the cutting whip, we 



