26 Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 



Accord of the aids. — The accord of the aids is that 

 harmonious action which the rider should obtain in his own 

 legs, hands, and weight, to permit, facilitate, or hasten 

 good execution of the movements which he demands. 



1. Accord of the legs acting together and the two 

 reins acting together: The legs give impulsion. The reins 

 regulate the impulsion. The action of both legs together 

 has the effect of producing, maintaining, or accelerating 

 the forward movement. 



Tension on both reins together has the effect of limit- 

 ing the forward movement; that is, of slowing, stopping, 

 or backing. 



These two actions, then, are totally opposed and 

 should never be produced at the same time, under pain of 

 destroying the impulsion. 



When the legs act to increase speed the hands should 

 give way to allow the increase ; then they resist if it is 

 necessary to limit it. 



Likewise, when the reins act to slow the gait, the legs 

 give way, then resist when it is necessary to limit the de- 

 crease. 



Summing up, if it is a question of slowing, stopping, or 

 backing, the legs oversee the movement in order to regu- 

 late it if necessary, but they only act when the horse has 

 obeyed and when the impulsion has died down. 



If it is a question of moving, of taking the trot, or in- 

 creasing the gait, the reins should be ready to resist at the 

 proper moment to regulate the gait, but they come into 

 play only after the horse has yielded to the action of the 

 legs. 



On the straight line, therefore, the actions of the hands 

 and the legs should never be simultaneous. 



It is evident that the more exact and obedient the horse, 

 the more these actions maj^ be approached to each other 

 without confusion. The "greener" the horse, the more 

 the indications given should be distinct and the more need 

 to separate actions whose effects might be confused. 



Accord of the two reins. — Before seeking to regulate 

 or reenforce the action of one rein by the other, one must 

 be sure that they do not cantradict each other; if the right 

 hand acts, the left must allow the right to produce its 

 whole effect. 



