CHAPTER VI 



THE HIGH SCHOOL 



The fancy and artificial paces of the " Haute Ecole " 

 (equitation superieure) 



"Every movement of the horse being the consequence of a pre- 

 liminary position, it is indispensable that the rider should know how 

 to place his horse in exactly the right position for the movement 

 desired." — Lieut. -Col. A. Gerhardt. 



Special Work in the Riding School 



The artificial paces of the High School are not a 

 necessity in the training of a hack ridden generally out 

 of doors, but the preparatory teaching of the slow 

 cadenced natural paces, followed by the Spanish walk 

 and trot are excellent gymnastics ; they give great 

 freedom to the shoulders and improve the balance. 

 The practical use of High School riding, however, is to 

 finish off the education of the horseman ; it gives him 

 elasticity and confidence in his seat ; teaches him the 

 right, accurate, delicate use of the aids ; and impresses 

 upon him the necessity of thoroughly understanding 

 the mechanism of a horse : without this knowledge it 

 is difficult to apply the aids at the right moment ; 

 with it, combined with the suppleness and self-command 

 acquired from the High School work, he is able to get 



