88 ANGLO-FRENCH HORSEMANSHIP 



The rider must in fact be continually on his guard 

 against exerting too much pressure with his legs. A 

 well-trained horse is said to answer " au vent des 

 bottes," i.e. to the slightest closing in of the ankles, 

 or to the increased pressure of the calves, the rider 

 turning out the toes, whilst keeping the heels down and 

 the sides of the knees towards the saddle ; the spurs 

 should be applied sharply to make the horse answer to 

 the legs when he is disinclined to Avork. 



To get the necessary delicacy of touch when doing 

 fme work with the spurs, High School riders drop the 

 toes slightly and thoroughly relax the muscles and 

 tendons of the legs and feet. They, as a rule, have their 

 stirrup leathers slightly longer than for ordinary 

 riding, so that the ankles can, when necessary, press the 

 lower and more sensitive parts of the long ribs near the 

 girths, and easily reach the short ribs further back, but 

 steadiness is the main point to consider when fixing 

 the length of the stirrup leathers : if the tread of the 

 iron is about level with the ungirthed underline of the 

 horse's body, the legs, as a rule, will be well placed for 

 getting a steady feeling on the sides, providing, owing 

 to the length of the legs, the knees are not placed too 

 high. 



It is very interesting to study the different ways in 

 which the exponents of High School riding sit on their 

 horses ; the majority, led by Baucher, press the fork 

 well into the saddle, and hollow the back, so that the 

 knees turn slightly in and enable the heels to move 

 back,* and the thighs to get a grip of the saddle when 

 necessary to preserve the seat and at the same time 



* When the legs are used alternately in the " Passage " and 

 " Spanish Trot," the drawing back of the heel takes the rider's 

 weight off the hind leg which is moving forward. 



