80 ROAD, PARK, AND SCHOOL 



tween the forces of the horse the rider will not have 

 complete and immediate control over the animal. 

 The powers of the aids in correcting defects of con- 

 formation in the horse are almost unlimited, and 

 there are, as I have said, few animals which cannot 

 be made to move with grace and lightness. 



If the horse be high and strong in the forehand, 

 and weak or drooping in the hind-quarters, the fore- 

 hand must be lowered, and the forces of the croup 

 must be collected and brought forward, otherwise 

 the action of the hind-quarters will be hampered or 

 languid, and there can be no union between the 

 extremities. 



If the horse be low or weak in the forehand and 

 strong and high in the hind-quarters, then the fore- 

 hand must be elevated and the forces of that part 

 collected and drawn back, and the croup lowered, or 

 the stronger hind-quarters will dominate the fore- 

 hand and render that part heavy and constrained in 

 action. Any position of the horse in which one 

 extremity throws too much weight against the other 

 must be corrected, or the horse will be heavy in the 

 part so burthened. Thus, as is often the case when 

 the rider mounts and takes up the reins, if the 

 hind-legs are thrust out so that they are braced 

 against the forehand, the head and neck cannot be 

 made light until the croup is lowered by the hind- 



