REMOVAL OF CENTRE OF GRAVITY. 8.J 



motions. The force of the spurring will be progressively- 

 increased until the horse bears it, when as vigorously 

 applied as possible, without presenting the least resist- 

 ance to the hand, without increasing the speed of his 

 pace, or without displacing himself as long as we operate 

 with a firm foot. 



A horse brought thus to bear spurring, is three-fourths 

 broken, since we have the free disposition of all his 

 forces. Besides, his centre of gravity being where 

 his forces are all united, we have brought it to its 

 proper place, viz. : the middle of the body. All the oscil- 

 lations of the animal will then be subordinate to us, and 

 we will be able to transfer the weight with ease, when 

 necessary. 



It is easy now to understand where the resistances 

 have their origin ; whether the horse kicks up behind, 

 rears, or runs away, the cause is always the centre of 

 gravity being in the wrong place. This very cause 

 belongs to a defective formation that we cannot change, 

 it is true, but the effects of which we can always modify. 

 If the horse kicks up, the centre of gravity is in the 

 shoulders ; in his croup when the animal rears, and too 

 far forward when he runs away. The principal thought 

 of the rider, then, ought to be to keep the centre of 

 gravity in the middle of the horse's body, since he will 

 thereby prevent him defending himself, and bring back 

 the forces of the badly formed horse to their true place, 

 which they occupy in the finest organizations. It is this 

 that makes me assert that a well-formed horse will not 

 make resistance nor move irregularly, for to do so 

 requires supernatural efforts on his part to destroy the 

 harmony of his moving parts, and so greatly displace 

 his centre of gravity. So, when I speak of the neces- 

 sity of giving the horse a new equilibrium, in order to 



