V. 



Arrangement of the Squad for the First Lesson (in mounted 

 work). If a riding hall is available horses should l)e worked 

 from the beginning without regard to distances. The 

 troopers are more at ease when they need not concern them- 

 selves about distances — often hard to keep with horses of 

 very uneven gaits. Morever, it is a bad plan to always 

 group young horses, as they thus acquire the habit of "stick- 

 ing in ranks." If, from the start, it is necessary to work on 

 the road, a couple of perfectly sure old horses must be 

 placed at the head of the young ones in order to set them 

 an example in quiet behavior and free movement. 



Necessity of Using the Trot at the Begining of a Lesson. 

 There are several advantages in using the trot to l)egin work: 



1. It starts the horses going straight ahead and brings 

 them in hand; busy at the trot they have less idea of resist- 

 ing. 



2. It expends the surplus vigor (takes the edge off) of 

 young horses, and they become more quiet and attentive. 



3. This gait must be considered as the best of suppling 

 exercises. In his book on equitation, La Gueriniere has a 

 chapter entitled "The necessity of the trot and the utility of 

 the walk." In this chapter he says: "By the trot, the 

 most natural of the gaits, a horse is made light on the 

 hand without spoiling his mouth and his legs are stretched 

 without straining them because in this action, which is the 

 highest of all natural gaits, the weight of the horse is borne 

 equally by two legs, one front and one hind; as a result the 

 two others are easily raised, sustained in the air and stretch- 

 ed to the front, thus giving a first stage of suppling to all 

 parts of the body. The trot, therefore, without controversy, 

 is the foundation of all lessons to make a horse obedient 

 and clever." 



Resistance of Young Horses. The instructor nmst forbid 



(29) 



