THE GALLOP. 181 



straight line, and with halts, will soon bring 

 the horse to make these changes of feet by 

 the touch, without halting. Violent effects 

 of force should be avoided, for they only 

 bewilder the horse and destroy his lightness. 

 We must remember that this lightness, 

 which should precede all changes of pace 

 and direction, and make every movement 

 easy, graceful, and inevitable, is the import- 

 ant condition we should seek before every- 

 thing else. 



It is because they have not understood 

 this principle, and have not felt that the 

 first condition, to dispose a horse for the 

 gallop, is to destroy all the instinctive forces 

 of the animal (forces that oppose the posi- 

 tion the movement demands), that horse- 

 men have laid down so many erroneous 

 principles, and have all remained unable to 

 show us the proper means to be employed. 

 16 



