132 CAVALRY HORSEMANSHIP 



But it often happens that either because he pulls, 

 or, on the contrary, because he lacks impulsion, the 

 horse does not preserve the regularity of the paces. 



The horse pulls for many reasons : nervousness, 

 want of balance, contraction, etc. These various 

 causes are felt by the hand in two ways — 



Either the rider feels on his hand the weight of a 

 dull mass, heavy to carry, and difficult to displace 

 (horse on his shoulders), in which case it is called 

 resistance of weight, and is met by the half-halt, which 

 obliges the horse to pull himself together and carry 

 himself. Or the rider feels in his fmgers a resistance 

 arising from muscular contractions of the lower jaw, 

 and that the horse resists instinctively or voluntarily 

 the action of the bit : we call these defences wilful 

 resistances, and we attack them with flexions or 

 vibrations on the reins as previously explained. The 

 horses can, moreover, move slower than desired owing 

 to laziness, want of energy, fear of the hand, or from 

 ignorance of the position favourable to the movement. 



If it is OAving to laziness, we should attack strongly 

 with the legs and, if necessary, press in the spurs, in 

 order to re-establish the absolute respect for the leg. 



If it is owing to want of energy, training, age, and 

 good food, gradually increase the vigour of the horse. 

 If the horse fears the bit, he shows his apjorchension by 

 raising his head and refusing the hand ; he thus over- 

 whelms his hindquarters, and instead of collecting 

 himself, trots without moving forward. We should 

 in this case put a lighter bit in the horse's mouth, put 

 him in confidence on the hand by gentle movements of 

 the fingers, and provoke the extension of the neck, 

 which will bring about the relaxation of the loins, and 

 later on the propulsive action of the hindquarters. 



