ELEMENTARY HORSEMANSHIP 5 



ol' the rcguhir stages which he has decided on, and 

 retain the attention of his pupils by varying his 

 teaching, so that each day brings a new and foreseen 

 element. 



His own good sense must mark the limits within 

 which it is wise to continue the instruction, and help 

 him to select a simple and fruitful course of pro- 

 cedure. The explanations he gives when mounted 

 should be confhied strictly to what is necessary, 

 formulated with precision, and given in such a way 

 and in such a place, that every pupil can hear. He 

 should never give explanations while working at the 

 fast paces, but he must never let pass, without notice, 

 any individual faults connected with position or the 

 control of the horse : it is only by incessantly criti- 

 cizing the same faults that these can be eradicated. 



Finally, the instructor should separate each diffi- 

 culty he encounters into as many parts as are necessary 

 to overcome them, conduct his work methodically 

 in regulating his demands, and remember that progress 

 is not the consequence of the movement, but of the 

 manner in which the movement is executed. 



The total of these directions constitute the spirit 

 of method. The spirit of method is the skeleton of 

 instruction ; it is not its soul. 



The instructor should, in the fertility of his mind 

 and in the love of his profession, fmd expression to 

 his ideas in words which will strike the imagination, 

 amuse, persuade, and make his pupils keen. 



Instruction should be given with good humour and 

 dash ; the even temper of the pupils, the frankness 

 of their look, their intelligent zeal, and the love they 

 have for the horse, are the marks of their confidence 

 and the measure of the rapidity of their progress. 



