VuRNING ON FOREHAND. 273 



aids are used for the turn to the left. We should be parti- 

 cularly careful against putting young horses too much on 

 their haunches, so that we may not strain their hocks. 



I may mention as an interesting point that if a horse 

 makes a sharp turn when at liberty in an open space, he 

 will do so on his forehand ; but when in a cramped position, 

 as in a narrow pathway with walls on each side, he will 

 probably turn on his hind-quarters ; for he can shorten the 

 horizontal space occupied by his body much easier by 

 raising his forehand than by raising his hind-quarters. 

 We all know that the ordinary horse can readily turn round 

 when standing on his hind legs ; but is unable to do so if 

 he tries to balance himself on his fore legs. On the other 

 hand, as the fore legs bear a larger proportion of weight 

 than the hind ones, it is easier for the horse to turn on the 

 former than on the latter, when his movements are not 

 cramped by want of space. The turn on the hind-quarters 

 through a complete circle is the pirouette ordinaire of the 

 high school. 



THE PASSAGE 



(to use the term employed in English military riding-schools) 

 is a side movement in which the track made by the hind 

 legs is apart from and parallel to that of the fore ones. It 

 can best be done when the horse is collected at the walk, 

 trot, or canter. If uncollected, especially at the walk, the 

 animal may fail to raise his outward feet high enough to 

 clear his inward ones. The horse is placed obliquely to the 

 direction in which he is to proceed ; his head is turned 

 towards that direction, and his outward feet (the near if he 

 is going to the right, and vice versa), both fore and hind, 

 cross in front of their respective fellows (see Figs. 118 and 

 119). Instead of two tracks (fore and hind), the animal 

 really works on four tracks, namely, one for each foot. 



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