CONCLUSION. 247 



demand it imperatively. The life of the 

 rider, every one knows, often depends upon 

 the good or bad disposition of his steed; in 

 the same way, the loss or the gain of a battle 

 often hangs on the degree of precision with 

 which a squadron is manoeuvred. My 

 method will give military men a taste for 

 horsemanship, a taste which is indispensable 

 in the profession they practice. The nature 

 of officers' horses, considered as so defective, 

 is exactly the one upon which the most 

 satisfactory results may be obtained. These 

 animals generally possess a certain degree of 

 energy, and as soon as we know how rightly 

 to use their powers, by remedying the 

 physical faults that paralyze them, we will 

 be astonished at the resources which they 

 will exhibit. The rider fashioning the steed, 

 by degrees, will regard him as the work of 

 his hand, will become sincerely attached to 

 him, and will find as much charm in horse- 



