68 NOTES ON EQUITATION. 



leg to make the haunches jdeld to the right and to bring 

 the right hind leg in advance. 



h. The horse having been set in this manner, close the 

 right leg in order to add its effect to that of the left leg and 

 to thus obtain, by the action of both legs, the forward im- 

 pulse necessary to bring about the gallop. 



4. Tfd'ing the Gallop from the Wall'. A horse that takes 

 the gallop readily from the slow trot will also take this gait 

 without difficulty from the walk. The method of procedure 

 is the same; that is, first set the horse and then push him 

 into the gallop. 



With horses that hesitate or fret, this last lesson should 

 be subdivided by passing through the trot; that is to say, the 

 horse will be set for the gallop while at a walk, from this set 

 he will be urged into the trot and from the trot into the gal- 

 lop. Little by little this intermediate trot will diminish in 

 duration until the horse takes the gallop immediately from 

 the walk. 



In this progressive method of obtaining the gallop lead 

 on either foot, we began by increasing the gait from the trot 

 and finished by taking the gallop from the walk because we 

 are convinced that taking the gallop is easier in proportion 

 to the speed of advancing. In our opinion, taking the gal- 

 lop from the walk is the most difficult exercise and if insist- 

 ed upon too early will result in horses that back or stand 

 and resist. Our method appears, perhaps, rather long, but 

 it has the advantage of producing horses that act smoothly, 

 that take the gallop without fretting and without losing 

 touch with the rider's hand. 



