182 Training the Saddle Horse 



for a brief moment until the body is brought forward, 

 when it is lowered without bending the knee. Then 

 the other foreleg is raised similarly. 



In teaching the Spanish walk, the first lessen is to 

 train the horse to extend his foreleg to the front. 

 To do this place the animal with his right side toward 

 a wall, then standing in front and facing him, 

 grasp the reins under the chin with the left hand, 

 slightly raise the head and turn it toward the right 

 side so as to relieve the weight on the left foreleg. 

 Tap the horse gently on the cannon or forearm of 

 the left foreleg to induce him to raise it and extend 

 it to the front. Caress him for doing as you wish. 

 Encourage him to extend it as far as possible. When 

 he understands that tapping the left foreleg means 

 to extend it to the front, in a similar way teach him 

 to extend the right foreleg. 



Having taught the horse to extend either foreleg 

 at the tap of the whip, let us try the Spanish walk. 

 Take your position in front as before and have him 

 extend the left foreleg, bring him forward by the 

 reins so that he will take a step. While he is doing 

 this you must prevent him from bending the leg at 

 the knee by applying the whip. Reward him for 

 obeying and repeat the process with the other front 

 leg. By diminishing the interval between the steps 

 and by inducing him to raise his forelegs higher we 

 arrive at the Spanish walk. It will take much prac- 

 tice standing in front and aiding the horse by alter- 



