HORSE CONTROL 15 



enable him immediately to judge the eharaeter, 

 temperament, and state of training of the horse, and 

 then to transmit and impose his will upon it. The 

 movements of the horse vary aecording to the position 

 taken by the various parts of his body, and aceording 

 to the degree of impulsion of which he has the disposal. 

 In order to cause the horse to execute any movement, 

 it is necessary both to give him a position which allows, 

 makes easy, or determines the movement which one 

 wishes, and to produce, maintain, increase or lessen 

 the impulsion. 



The rapidity of movement depends upon the degree 

 of impulsion. It is by means of the aids that there is 

 given to the horse position and impulsion. 



The action of the legs. — The legs of the rider 

 should be fixed, that is to say adherent, and in light 

 contact with the body of the horse, free from all 

 involuntary movement ; an}^ action should be hardly 

 noticeable, and the length of the stirrup leathers should 

 be adapted to this end. In this case as in that of the 

 seat, the opposite of fixity is a swinging movement 

 which upsets the horse. The legs can act, resist, or yield. 

 They act when their pressure increases to bring about 

 a movement ; they resist when their pressure is meant 

 to limit or prevent a displacement of the hind quarters, 

 they yield when the pressure decreases and allows of 

 this displacement. In the first two cases they are 

 active in different degrees ; in the third case they are 

 passive. 



{a) When the two legs act together they should 

 have the effect of driving the horse forward, if he is 

 standing, or of increasing the impulsion if he is in 

 movement. Their action should take effect near 

 the girths, gently so as not to surprise the horse, 



