THE HORSE 211 



We all know when a horse has perfect shoulders 

 or when they are very bad, but it is the different 

 degrees in between which we dispute over. 

 What do we mean when we speak of a horse 

 having good shoulders ? The idea is that when 

 the animal has a certain slope of shoulder, he 

 will not turn over with you, however often he 

 may fall. The whole secret lies in balance. A 

 horse that is perfectly balanced will never give 

 you a really bad fall, and will never be a really 

 hard puller. A good horseman with light hands 

 can rectify the balance to a certain extent if the 

 error is only slight. Seat yourself on a child's 

 rocking-horse, just a trifle in front of the centre 

 of balance, and then proceed to rock. You will 

 find that every forward movement brings you 

 up with a jar that shakes both you and your 

 wooden steed. That is exactly what happens to 

 the ill-balanced horse in jumping a fence, the 

 whole strain coming on the forelegs, so that it 

 is easy to understand the difficulty of recovering 

 after a stumble. The balance is very seldom 

 the other way, and when it is means no particular 

 discomfort to the rider, but merely more exer- 

 tion to the horse in jumping. You will perceive 



