78 Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 



hind quarters, which push the mass forward, or at least 

 should always be ready to do so. 



The forward movement is natural or acquired; it is 

 natural in the hot, generous horse; in the cold or lazy 

 horse it is the result of a training and dies out as soon as 

 the action which has provoked it disappears. 



A rider is only fully master of his horse when the latter 

 has entirely given over to him his impulsive forces. Cer- 

 tain horses hold them back, part with them with regret, or 

 even oppose the most complete inertia. Others use their 

 whole muscular power to struggle against the rider, resist 

 him, or to completely escape him. Others, finally, lend 

 themselves generously and seem to put their strength at 

 their rider's service. It is this moral as well as physical 

 submission to the aids, in the forward movement, which 

 should be sought before all else in training. 



Speed is not a criterion of impulsion. The impulsion 

 is shown much more by the manner in which the horse 

 lends himself to the rider than by the rapidity of the gaits. 



One horse, marching at the trot or gallop, even extend- 

 ed, may lack impulsion, while another may show much in 

 walking. This freedom in the forward movement should 

 be carefully protected, not only during training, but during 

 the horse's whole military life. 



Besides, good use of strength leads to proper division 

 of weight, or to balance, and consequently, to mobility and 

 manageability. 



Balance.— The horse's muscular force and weight are 

 two elements which concur in the production of movement. 



Muscular force is essentially productive of energy. 

 The mass of the horse being inert, it is muscular force which 

 provokes the displacement; its use will therefore give the 

 proper distribution of weight. 



The precise object of training is to govern this force, 

 in the combination of the several gaits, in the several de- 

 grees of speed, in the changes of direction, so as to oblige 

 the horse to execute what his rider demands. 



In theory, movement is determined by the different 

 positions of the center of gravity with respect to the base 

 of support. In the state of rest the center of gravity is 

 over that base. Movement is nothing else but the rupture 

 of that equilibrium, the members intervening to steady the 

 mass and prevent a fall. Thus the four movements: For- 



