14 CAVALRY HORSEIMANSHIP 



(2) To be master of the means of action. (The 



discipUne of the aids.) 



(3) To know how to utiUze these means of action. 



(Employment of the aids.) 

 The knowledge and the application of these three 

 fundamental rules are indispensable in the making 

 of a horseman, but their study in no way lessens the 

 preponderant part which practice always plays. 

 Practice without theory is always uncertain, and 

 the application of good principles alone secures the 

 perfect utilization of the horse. 



I. To Understand the Means of Action 

 Knowledge 



STUDY OF THE AIDS.— The knowledge of the 

 aids, looked at as a Avhole, requires the examination 

 of the physical aptitudes and moral qualities of the 

 man, the study of the properly called natural aids, 

 and the knowledge of the artificial aids. 



Value of the moral qualities and the physical aptitudes. 

 — The weight, the figure, the firmness or slack- 

 ness, the muscular power or the want of strength, the 

 suppleness or stiffness, the energy or the lack of it, 

 the intelligence, and the patience, or, on the contrary, 

 the apprehension, the nervousness, and the brutal 

 nature of the man, are factors in equitation which 

 seriously influence results, no matter how excellent 

 the instructors or their methods. All this should be 

 carefully considered in assigning horses to the riders, 

 more especially if the former are young. 



Natural aids. — These are the legs, the reins, and 

 the weight of the body. The legs and the reins 

 serve to put the rider in contact with his horse ; they 



