342 COMMENTARIES ON BAUCHER. 



will do, so to speak, all the movements without the help of the 

 " aids, " it being sufficient to indicate to him what he has got 

 to do, by the slightest approach of the leg, with the reins slack 

 on his neck. In fact, this is a question of nuances (minute dif- 

 ferences) : but all art is made up of miances. 



Be that as it may ; but since Baucher acknowledges that he 

 could get only the "equilibrium of the second kind" (incomplete 

 rassenihler), I am justified in thinking that my school horses 

 are superior to his ; because, for the last ten years, I have ob- 

 tained "equilibrium of the first kind " (complete rasseniblev). I 

 hasten to add that, thanks to Baucher, I succeeded in finding 

 this rassembler, which is possible only when the head and neck 

 are kept very high. Also, when I say that my school horses 

 are superior to those of the illustrious master, I do not pretend 

 that they were more precise in their movements than his, which 

 were perfectly correct. I wish simply to say that I obtained 

 the same school movements in as good form as my learned pre- 

 decessor, but with greater elevation of head, neck, and limbs ; 

 that is to say, with more complete equilibrium, which conse- 

 quently required less effort, and above all things with more 

 impulsion. 



In his books on equitation, Baucher said little about riding 

 in the open. This was an evident omission. 



The fact is that Baucher never rode outside. Without 

 being his pupil, I followed and studied him during his journeys 

 to i\ustria, Italy, Switzerland, etc., from 1847 to 1850, But 

 during these three years I never saw him go out on horseback. 

 It has been very incorrectly stated that his seat in the saddle 

 was weak, and for this reason he was afraid to ride hacking or 

 hunting. I admit that he was not such a fine rough rider, and 

 had not such a strong seat as the Count d'Aure, but that does 

 not prove he was afraid to ride outside. The fact that he 

 broke many horses proves that he had a strong seat ; because 

 there are always more or less violent struggles during break- 



