CHANGES OF LEG AT EACH STRIDE. 271 



used. If the rider's inward leg does not instantly receive the 

 change of leg which his outward leg sends it, the horse will 

 naturally put his croup sideways. Under these conditions, 

 the changes of leg are never regular or well done. And, as it 

 always takes two or three strides to straighten a horse, it 

 will be impossible to do these changes with short intervals 

 between them. 



On the outside the evil is less, because the wall prevents the 

 haunches from being brought too much round. 



When the changes are correctly done with both legs to 

 the right and to the left, and especially in the corners of the 

 school, I only then begin to regulate them, which it is 

 impossible to do before being certain that the horse will 

 change each time, and at the moment I want him. 



At first I content myself with getting him to change in 

 every eight or ten strides of the canter, and I demand only a 

 single change on each leg. If he becomes excited, he should 

 be stopped and practised again at starting. 



To be on good terms with the horse, it is necessary to count 

 the strides of the canter. For example, when going to the 

 right, with the horse cantering with the off fore, I count i, 2, 

 3, 4, 5, 6, each number marking a stride. At the sixth I make 

 him change, and then I make him do the same work with the 

 near fore leading. If the horse does correctly the two changes 

 I have asked, I stop him and pat him on the neck. I then 

 begin again by requiring him to do only a single change on 

 each leg. 



At the end of a few days, when I feel that the horse does 

 this work freely, I demand four and then six changes, always 

 at the sixth stride. As long as the horse does this work in a 

 tranquil frame of mind, I gradually increase the number of 

 changes at the sixth stride, or, as it is said, at the sixth 

 " time," but without over-doing it. 



If the horse gets excited I stop him, but. I do not pat him. 



