48 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL 



borne by the left fore-leg and the right hind-leg. 

 If the horse stumbles with the right fore-foot as it 

 is coming to the ground, he will fall if the diagonally 

 disposed hind-foot is not brought up in time to 

 support the centre of gravity which has already 

 passed over the two legs (left fore and right hind) 

 which are sustaining the mass. 



What can the rider do to avoid the disaster ? 



He may support the falling forehand by leaning 

 back in the saddle and taking a bearing upon the 

 bit, until the diagonal hind-leg is brought up under 

 the centre of gravity, and the animal recovers from 

 the disorder of the stumble. But this support of 

 the bit must be given with care and discretion, for 

 if the horse's head is pulled up and confined too 

 much, the animal will not have freedom of move- 

 ment sufficient to enable it to make the effort 

 necessary to recover itself. 



But it is better to prevent mistakes upon the 

 part of the horse, and this can be done by carefully 

 riding the animal in a collected form. By lightly 

 restraining the forehand with the bit, and demand- 

 ing action from the hind-quarters with the spurs, 

 each hind-leg may be made to follow its leading 

 (diagonal) fore-leg with little or no interval. In 

 the latter case the pace would be the manage walk 

 a sort of passage and would fulfil all the con- 



