68 THE AUT OF 



calves, and even sometimes with the spurs, 

 for fear that, they do not fully stop. 



To make a horse fall back, the action of 

 the bridle hand is the same as to mark a 

 stop ; so that to accustom a horse to fall back 

 easily, you must, after having made the stop, 

 draw back the bridle, the nails upwards, as if 

 you wished to make a second stop ; when the 

 horse will have obeyed, that is, when he will 

 have made two or three steps backwards, you 

 must yield your hands to soothe his lower 

 jaws, otherwise a too long pressure on the 

 part of the bit would stupify him, and the 

 horse, instead of falling back, would force the 

 hand, or make a full stop. 



To fall back well, you must, at each stop 

 that the horse makes in the rear, hold him 

 ready to advance anew ; it is a great defect 

 to fall back too quickly, because the horse 

 precipitating his force backwards, runs the 

 risk of throwing himself on his tail, or of 

 throwing himself on his back, particularly if 

 he has weak reins. It is necessary also that 

 he fall back straight, without crossing, in 

 order to bend the two hips equally under him ; 

 if he is obstinate and does not wish to fall 

 back, which often happens, almost generally 



