TRAINING 61 



or diagonal aids, as each foot comes to the ground, 

 causing the horse to raise his knees and take the short 

 steps which characterise this pace. Many High School 

 riders, however, prefer to keep their hands prefectly 

 still, and, so long as the pace and balance are right, the 

 reins slightly slack. The curb reins are used, and the 

 hand placed low, as the neck should be arched and 

 the head slightly lower than for the ordinary trot, so as 

 to raise the quarters, and also the action of the forelegs 

 should be high and round, not extended as in the 

 Spanish trot. 



The exercise on two paths in the collected trot is 

 excellent as a preparation for the passage. Before 

 commencing to teach the "Passage," the horse must 

 learn to raise each hind leg on feeling the touch of the 

 spur, and to put it down again quietly, as explained in 

 the chapter on High School training when teaching the 

 Spanish trot. 



To finish off our hack's education we should teach 

 him to change his leading leg in the canter. 



There are various ways of starting the canter which 

 are clearly explained in Lieut. -Colonel Blacque Belair's 

 " Horsemanship and Horsetraining," but as our aim 

 is to teach a horse to change his leg at every stride, the 

 most practical method of teaching him to staH the 

 canter is that of the indirect rein of opposition, assisted 

 by the leg of the same side, i.e. lateral aids and diagonal 

 effect, as these are the right aids for the change of leg. 

 Say we want to start the canter leading with the off 



reins should be lengthened, so as to allow the impulsion to take 

 a forward direction ; this movement of the tail is caused by 

 contraction of the muscles of the croup, produced by the horse 

 answering to the spur by shrinking back on to its hind legs instead 

 of brijiging them forward and increasing the impulsion. In 

 such cases sharp spurs should not be used. . 



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