96 ANGLO-FRENCH HORSEMANSHIP 



spur attacks until he balances himself and begins a 

 cadenced diagonal movement, when the hands should 

 be eased so that he can advance in the trot to the 

 diagonal action of the legs and hands. 



To develop the Spanish trot from the ordinary trot, 

 say on the left diagonals with the school wall on the 

 right, the rider collects the horse between the left leg 

 and the right rein, whilst the left rein is held low and 

 stretched, and when he has cadenced the pace, increases 

 the pressure of the ankles — dropping the toes if the spur 

 is necessary — until he makes a spring, and then picks 

 up the rhythm with each leg alternately, or in some 

 cases with the alternate action of the hands for a few 

 steps before bringing the legs into action. 



To break into the Spanish trot from the Spanish 

 walk, the rider has only to bend slightly forward and 

 increase the pressure of the legs in their alternate action. 

 If, after trotting a few paces, the horse goes back into 

 the walk to ease himself, he should be sent forward into 

 a trot or canter with the whip, and then made to take 

 up the Spanish trot again. 



When working in a school, the outside leg, i.e., the 

 leg next the wall, should be first extended, as the wall 

 will prevent the horse from moving to that side on feel- 

 ing the rider's outside leg. At first one should be 

 content with one spring, and ease the legs immediately, 

 then get a spring from the other pair of diagonals, and 

 finally one from each pair, before easing the legs and 

 advancing the bridle hand along the neck and stroking 

 the poll with the knuckles, whilst making the horse 

 trot on at an extended pace ; he should never be 

 rewarded by being allowed to drop into a slow pace. 

 This is most important ; the rider should always slack 

 the reins and let a horse stride out after every 



