RECIPROCAL CONTRACTIONS. 67 



latter, since the neck and head being the 

 two principal levers by which we direct the 

 animal, it is impossible to obtain anything 

 from him until we are master of these first 

 and indispensable means of action. Behind, 

 the parts where the forces contract the most 

 for resistance, are the loins and the croup 

 (the haunches). 



The contractions of these two opposite 

 extremities are, mutually the one to the 

 other, causes and effects, that is to say, 

 the stiffness of the neck induces that of the 

 haunches, and reciprocally. We can com- 

 bat the one by the other ; and as soon as we 

 have succeeded in annulling them, as soon 

 as we have re-established the equilibrium 

 and harmony that they prevented between 

 the fore and the hind parts, the education of 

 the horse will be half finished. I will now 

 point out the means of infallibly arriving at 

 this result. 



