THE EDUCATION OF THE HORSE 47 



shoulder, combined with hi<,^h withers, assists the 

 bahiiicc, by enabling the rider's weight to be evenly 

 distributed, it is the relative length and vertical 

 position of the arm, still more than the direction of 

 the shoulder, which gives freedom in the paces and 

 handiness. The power of the hindquarters, which 

 drive the horse forwards or backwards, gives the horse 

 control of himself and of his balance ; it gives him 

 the free use of his hocks and enables him to bring 

 them more or less under his body ; it enables him to 

 pull himself together, or to extend his i^aces according 

 to circumstances ; in fact it puts it in his power to 

 take any direction or speed he wishes. 



Moreover, if his confidence in his long and oblique 

 shoulders enables the horse to land lightly over a 

 fence without any apparent effort, it is the contraction 

 and thrust from the hindquarters which gives the 

 spring that carries him over. The riding horse should 

 therefore have a large hip bone, projecting well at the 

 side, and extending slightly above the spine, producing 

 what is called the jumping bump. 



The perfect shape. — If one adds to the require- 

 ments just mentioned, a forehand formed less by a 

 useless length of neck than by the addition of cervical 

 vertebrae, and a wither running w^ell into the back, 

 one will have the frame of a riding horse in all its 

 useful beauty, and in consequence, the type to look 

 for. 



One of the first qualities of a riding horse is, that 

 he should carry his saddle in the proper place, that 

 is to say, the girths should naturally pass well behind 

 the elbows. 



The other points to look for arc — 



A broad forehead and a well- set- on head. 



