88 Manual of Equitation and Horse Training 



The horse, nevertheless, through pain or stubbornness, 

 may refuse to back. He braces himself with his haunches, 

 contracts the spinal column, and resists the action of the 

 reins. To combat these bad habits, which lead to his 

 always hanging back, the rider should displace the croup by 

 the action of the leg or oppose alternately each of the 

 shoulders to the corresponding haunch. One must profit by 

 the displacement of the haunch to take up again the action 

 of the hands. 



In the execution of this movement the horse should be 

 calm, straight, move slowly, and should always remain 

 ready to move forward at the call of the legs. In the be- 

 ginning, above all with hot horses, it is best after having 

 again moved forward to follow the movement of backing 

 with rest, the reins long. 



These results acquired, one should commence to pass 

 from the forward to the backward movement and recip- 

 rocally; the horse is thus balanced between the two, only 

 making a few steps in each. 



Suppling of the spinal column is obtained by the move- 

 ments just enumerated, but, above all, by work on a small 

 circle executed at the gallop with increasing rapidity. 

 This is the best lateral suppling; it should be frequently 

 practiced. 



The horses being at the gallop on the circle, the in- 

 structor, to avoid the fatigue of prolonged work on short 

 turns, alternately diminishes the circle for several turns, 

 then enlarges it. The tendency on the part of the horses 

 to slow down as the circle is diminished must be combated. 

 The short turn is easy at the slow gallop; what is difficult 

 and what must be obtained is the short turn at a rapid 

 gait. 



To obtain free play of the shoulders. — The horse which, 

 in liberty, moves and balances himself with ease, generally 

 becomes heavy on the hand when mounted. This change 

 of attitude comes in part from the division of the rider's 

 weight and in part from the fact that while the horse 

 would balance himself for movements which he wishes 

 to execute, he does not yet know how to balance himself 

 for the movements which the rider demands. 



The best gymnastics to give mobility to the shoulders 

 and lightness to the forehand include collections, especially 

 the broken line and serpentine, the turns being demanded 



