TRAINING 83 



the science of horsemanship both theoretical and 

 jH'actical, and the love of method ; and in addition, 

 if his advice is not sufficient, he should be able to show 

 practically what he wants done. 



The rider. — It is the personal value of the rider 

 which is the principal factor in the training of the horse. 

 No matter the method, the quality of the horse, the 

 value of the instructor, if the rider does not know his 

 work as trainer, the horse will never be obedient, or 

 at any rate he will only be imperfectly obedient. In 

 fact, to train a horse, the first and perhaps only 

 condition is to be a fine horseman. 



The work. — Every method of training which does 

 not commence with the conditioning of the horse, is 

 not suitable for military purposes. In training, as in 

 breaking, outdoor work therefore continues to be the 

 essential part. It is for the instructor to regulate the 

 proportion to establish between the work in the open 

 and the work in the school, in order to best carry out 

 the exercise and training of the young horse. 



Under normal conditions only one-third of the 

 work should be done in the school. In any case, the 

 work in the school should not last more than three- 

 quarters of an hour, and there should be frequent 

 periods of rest. 



The duration of training. — One must not lose sight 

 of the fact that the moral and physical devcloj^ment 

 of the horse, no matter how skilled the rider may be, 

 is subject to the essentially variable laws of nature. 

 No effort will hurry the natural evolution of the young 

 horse, and take the place of the work of time. 



Patience, and the normal gradation of the efforts, 

 will make a considerable difference in the training ; 

 to go slowly is to move quickly. 



