GATHERING THE HORSE. 89 



1. The suppling, partial and general, of the neck and 

 haunches. 



2. The perfect position that results from this sup- 

 pling. 



3. The entire absorption of the forces of the horse by 

 the rider. 



Now, as the means of obtaining these different re- 

 sults have never been pointed out in any treatise on 

 horsemanship, am I not justified in saying that the true 

 rassenibler has never been practised until now ? It is, 

 nevertheless, one of the indispensable conditions of the 

 horse's education ; consequently I think I am right 

 in saying that before my method, horses of defective 

 formation have never been properly broken. 



How is the rassemhler defined in the schools of horse- 

 manship ? 1^0?/ gather your horse by raising the hand 

 and closing the legs. I ask, what good can this move- 

 ment of the rider do upon an animal badly formed, con- 

 tracted, and that remains under the influence of all the 

 evil propensities of its nature ? This mechanical support 

 of the hands and legs, far from preparing the horse for 

 obedience, will only make him redouble his means of 

 resistance, since, while giving him notice that we are 

 about to demand a movement on his part, we remain 

 unable to dispose his forces in such a way as to force him 

 to it. 



The real rassemhler consists in collecting the forces of 

 the horse in his centre in order to ease his extremities, 

 and give them up completely to the disposition of the 

 rider. The animal thus finds himself transformed into a 

 kind of balance, of which tlie rider is the centre-piece. 

 The least touch upon one or other of the extremities, 

 which represent the scales, will immediately send them 

 in the direction we wish. The rider will know that his 



