RESISTANCES OF THE RIDING HORSE 141 



breaking, laid down in the preceding pages, will nearly 

 always bring success. 



To the brutal and sui)eri()r force o! the horse, the 

 rider should oppose skill and tact ; he will take careful 

 note of the nature of the resistances, their cause and 

 their scat (mouth, shoulders, quarters or pain). 



He will divide the difhcultics, and as much as 

 l)ossible, attack them separately (stop, relax, place, 

 attack). 



He will remember that the seat and fixity give the 

 aids their greatest power with the least effort ; when 

 a fight is necessary he will preserve his coolness ; he 

 will not squander his strength, but, on the contrary, 

 concentrate it on the right spot at the right time. 



Alongside these first principles — knowledge, the 

 control and economy of strength — there exists for the 

 domination of a difhcult animal, a number of methods, 

 natural or artificial, which study and experience have 

 disclosed, and it is for the rider to employ them accord- 

 ing to his temj^erament and that of the horse, and to 

 apply them in the difficulties, special or unforeseen, 

 which arise during the training, or in the daily w^ork 

 of the horse. 



Ignorant horses. — When a horse disobeys out of 

 ignorance of what is required of him, by merely showing 

 anxiety or a passive resistance, one should recall him 

 to obedience by taking up his training from the point 

 at which he is at fault, and then following the series of 

 exer(?ises laid down for the completion of his education. 



Nervous and frightened horses. — It is by kindness 

 and patience that one succeeds in giving the horse 

 confidence. When his rider sees an object likely to 

 frighten him, he should sink into the saddle, leave the 

 reins long, pat the horse and calm him with the voice. 



