MME. ISABELLE.T 



THE HOESE, AND 



[mme. isabelle. 



and the long whip." Nos. 7 and 8, " to bring 

 a horse to the knowledge of the spur, and 

 to start by diagonal action." Nos. 9, 10, 11, 

 and 12, are respectively "the flag, the drum 

 and pistol shot, the music, and the sabre 

 lesson." No. 13 is headed "left-about— right- 

 about." Nos. 14 and 15, "pirouette on the 

 forehand and on the haunches." Nos. 16, 17, 

 18, 19 are for " movements of the two pistes 

 or tracks," which is efi'ected by teaching a 

 horse to cross the near legs over the off legs, 

 taking generally an oblique direction, Tliis 

 movement is commonly called the "passage," 

 incorrectly, according to Madame Isabelle. No. 

 20, " to start at a walk and at a trot " No. 21, 

 " to produce a noble carriage ;" No, 22, to 

 "rein back" a horse; No. 23, "to teach the 

 effects of the reins on starting at a gallop ;" 

 No. 24, to " rassejnhler" a horse. This exer- 

 cise, with No. 2, are the two principal ones for 

 what may be termed putting a horse on his 

 legs. No. 2 is to make the horse's limbs 

 Bupple by teaching him to lift his legs properly. 

 To " r«sse7H5Zer" may be called keeping a horse 

 together. The horse's croupe is placed against 

 a wall, so that he cannot go back ; and in 

 this position, by means of the whip and the 

 click of the tongue, he is made to move all his 

 legs readily. Nos. 25 and 26 are jumping and 

 mounting lessons ; and No. 27 is the climax of 

 all — the Eiding Lesson. 



In reference to these lessons, Madame Isa- 

 belle quaintly observes — " If it is not possible 

 to have a riding-school — a courtyard, a corner 

 of a garden, or even the highway will suffice 

 for want of a better substitute." And it is 

 stated as a positive rule, that " all the lessons 

 ehould be an hour and a-half long during the 

 whole of the breaking-in." In the first lesson, 

 after saddling and placing the " Surfaix Cava- 

 lier" on, the reins must be fixed in the first 

 holes, and the horse is exercised in No. 5, the 

 whip lesson ; No. 4, the pas d'equilibre decom- 

 pose ; and in No. 14, the pirouette on the shoul- 

 ders. In the second lesson, the bit reins are 

 fixed in the second holes, the snafSe reins in 

 the fourth holes. In addition to those exer- 

 cises in the first, the horse is put to No. 16, 

 the movement of the two pistes, and No. 20, 

 the starting at a walk or a trot. In Lesson 3, 

 the four reins are fixed in the seventh 

 holes,- and No. 17, the movement of the two 

 342 



pistes with the lunge and the whip, and No. 

 22, the "rein back," are brought into play. 

 In Lesson 4, the four reins are fixed in the 

 eighth holes. The horse is taught No, 6, " the 

 knowledge of the long whip," and No. 18, the 

 movement of the two pistes with diagonal 

 action. In Lesson 5, the four reins are fixed 

 in the tenth holes. The horse is made ac- 

 quainted with the use of the spur. He is also 

 made to " ras^emhler" (No. 24), and to go 

 through No. 13 and No. IS. In the sixth 

 lesson, the four reins are fixed in tlio- twelfth 

 holes ; and Lessons Nos. 8, 21, £ ._. 23 are 

 added to the operations. In the seventh 

 lesson, the reins are fixed in the fifteenth holes, 

 and all the preceding operations are repeated. 

 In Lesson 8, the four reins are fixed in the 

 sixteenth holes, and the horse is " rassemlled''^ 

 and "reined back," and then is put to No. 19, 

 the movement of the two pistes, the body 

 being bent to the side to which the horse 

 moves ; but for this the reins are changed, the 

 near bit and snaffle reins are fixed in the 

 eleventh holes, and the off bit and snaffle reins 

 in the sixteenth. In the ninth lesson, the 

 reins are fixed in the eighteenth holes. 

 The horse goes through all the preceding ex- 

 ercises, and is now taught to jump. No, 25. 

 The three last lessons are devoted to repeti- 

 tions, the only diflerence being in the reining 

 up ; and the horse is then considered tho- 

 roughly broken-in and fit for the riding lesson 

 ■ — when, instead of the "Iron Cavalier," a 

 soldier appears in the saddle, and every direc- 

 tion is given for teaching him equitation. 



We have thus entered somewhat minutely 

 into the system of Madame Isabelle, in order 

 to show of what it consists. The directions 

 are very minute; so much so, indeed, as in 

 some cases to appear not to be required. But 

 it has been proved by experience, that this 

 aggregate of minute points is essential for re- 

 alising the great object — namely, the speedy 

 and perfect breaking-in of the horse. Of the 

 horses in this country, Madame Isabelle ob- 

 serves, that the English use them, but do not 

 break them in, and thus it is that so many are 

 rendered vicious ; and, if the cause is sought, 

 " it loill he seen that it has arisen, amongst the 

 greatest number of them, from the injustice and 

 hrutalilg of which they have been the victims'* 

 — an additional evidence to the fact, that gen- 



