RIDING AND TRAINING. 1 05 



When the horse is poised in action, the head and 

 croup are held higher and the back is not so arched, 

 because of the action which continues though the 

 horse remains in place, as when the forces are so 

 closely collected at the halt ; but, as in the latter 

 case, the neck bends, the jaw yields, the horse seems 

 to grow under the rider, and the animal is ready for 

 a movement in some direction without any further 

 preparation. (Fig. 19.) 



I think it well to say that the horse from which 

 the illustrations for this book were taken, was low 

 in the forehand ; consequently the suppling of the 

 two extremities has been shown to a great degree. 

 Without thorough training this horse would be as 

 it was when I bought it very hard in the mouth, 

 and with very heavy, awkward action. I selected 

 this animal with a view of showing what could be 

 done for a horse, not naturally well balanced, by a 

 careful system of training. 



Between the state of collection which we have 

 called ' in hand,' and the condition of absolute 

 equilibrium or ' the poise/ is ' the union/ which is 

 the closest collection that can be obtained without 

 affecting the rate of speed at which the horse is 

 moving. We shall describe this union in the next 

 chapter. 



The head of the horse may be depressed by the 



