ANGLO-FRENCH HORSEMANSHIP 



impulsion ; he must be always in front of the 

 rider's legs, and he must answer the slightest 

 pressure by forward movement. To obtain 

 this, the main point is to ease the hands before 

 pressing in the legs, and then to stop him by 

 first easing the legs and then closing the fingers 

 tightly on the reins. Till the horse's education 

 is well advanced these two aids should not be 

 combined. 



A trained horse should keep his head and 

 neck still, and maintain, like the rider, an even 

 steady horizontal pressure on the bradoon, whilst 

 yielding the lower j aw the moment he feels the bit. 



Mains sans jambes and jambes sans mains 

 should be, as Baucher says, the trainer's motto 

 until the horse goes forward without the slightest 

 hesitation, when the legs tell him to do so. 

 This forward movement should not only be 

 certain, but it should also be calm ; leg action 

 should therefore always be gentle and gradual, 

 and the horse must be trained to take it without 

 resentment or disturbance of any kind. A 

 kindly pat on the neck every time he answers 

 to the legs will soon secure ready obedience. 

 As the principal seat of resistance is the neck, 

 we will now supple and get control of it, by 

 what Baucher calls Flexions ; these can be 

 either to the right and left, or direct. 



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