THE CANTER. 243 



Supposing, therefore, that the horse understands his work, 

 and that we wish him to change from the trot into the canter 

 with the off fore leading, we should apply the aids as already 

 described ; but in using the left leg, we should touch the 

 animal with th2 spur or heel, at the moment the near fore 

 comes down on the ground; because, at that instant (Fig. 198), 

 the near hind is in the act of being brought forward, and a 

 touch of the spur or foot will tend to quicken its advance, so 

 that it may come down before the off fore, and immediately 

 after the near fore and off hind are raised. The near hind 

 will then be in the position shown in Fig. 17, and the other 

 legs will be off the ground and in the correct order of move- 

 ment for the canter. To change from the trot into the canter 

 with the near fore leading, the reversed aids should be em- 

 ployed. The same respective aids should be used to change 

 from the walk into the canter, although this will be a more 

 difficult feat than changing from the trot ; because in the 

 former case, three of the legs of the horse will have to be raised 

 off the ground, instead of only two in the latter case ; and 

 the animal has less forward impulse. Consequently, he will 

 usually require to be more sharply collected. Getting the 

 horse to strike off from the halt into the canter, demands a 

 preparation as well as a stimulus and an adjustment of 

 weight. For instance, to make him do this with the off 

 fore leading, we should, by touching him with the drawn 

 back spur or heel of the right foot, cause him to advance the 

 off hind more under him than the near hind ; and having 

 thus prepared him, should make him strike off in the way I 

 have already described. The object of the preparation in 

 this case is to take weight off the near hind leg, so that 

 it may be more easily and more quickly brought forward 

 in response to the touch of the left leg of the rider. In 

 order to assist the horse in understanding the signal to strike 

 off with the off fore leading, we may place him in a direction 



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