22 Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 



The movements of the horse vary accordmg to the 

 positions taken by the different parts of the body and the 

 amount of impulsion which he gives. 



To make the horse execute any movement whatever 

 one must give him a position which permits, facilitates, or 

 determines that movement, and then produce, maintain, 

 increase, or moderate the impulsion. Rapidity of move- 

 ment depends on the degree of impulsion. 



The aids are the means by which one gives the horse 

 position and impulsion. 



Action of the legs. —The legs should be fixed— that is 

 to say, close to and in light contact with the horse. They 

 should be free from all involuntary motion and very steady 

 in their actions. The stirrup is adjusted accordingly. The 

 fault opposed to fixity is swinging, which confuses the 

 horse. 



The legs may act, resist, or give way. They act when 

 their pressure increases to determine a movement; they 

 resist when their pressure remains constant and is op- 

 posed to a displacement of the haunches; they give way 

 when their presssure diminishes and allows that displace- 

 ment. In the first two cases they are active, though in 

 different degrees; in the last case they are passive. 



(a) When the two legs act together, the effect should 

 be to move the horse forward, if he is halted; to increase 

 the impulsion if he is in march. Their action should be 

 produced a little in rear of the girths, gradually, so he may 

 not be surprised, energetically and by free attacks with the 

 calves if he hesitates to move forward. 



(5) When one leg alone, the right for example, acts 

 in rear of the girths, it should have the result, while pro- 

 voking the forward movement, of pushing the croup to the 

 left. The horse faces to the right if halted; turns to the 

 right, in increasing the gait, if he is in march. This should 

 b3 produced by drawing the leg a little to the rear, not 

 too much, and closing it gently so that the horse will not be 

 surprised. If he hesitates to obey, act by little taps of the 

 calf, and cease as soon as he obeys. 



The spur serves in proper cases, to reenf orce the action 

 of the leg, and to render the horse's obedience more 

 prompt. It is to the leg what the curb chain is to the hand. 

 It must be used with discretion, its use must be propor- 

 tional to the results to be obtained and the degree of sen- 



