CHAPTER IV. 

 Resistances of the horse. 



In all the best riding-schools of Europe two posts 

 are firmly fixed into the ground, parallel with and 

 about twenty paces from one of the short sides of 

 the school. These are called pillars, and between 

 them is fastened a horse who is trained to rear or to 

 kick at command, in order that the teacher may ex- 

 plain to his pupils what they must do when they 

 encounter one or other of these resistances. These 

 pillars are almost unknown in riding-schools in this 

 country, and the reason of their absence may be 

 found, I think, in the moral qualities of the Ameri- 

 can horse, which are really astonishing when looked 

 at from the point of view of animal character. 



A teacher should, however, give his pupils some 

 instructions about the most common tricks or vices 

 of the horse, which are usually only defensive action 

 on his part. Before any active form of resistance, 

 the horse always makes a well-marked pause ; for 

 instance, in order to rear, he stops his motion for- 

 ward, draws his hind legs under him, throws his 

 weight on them, and lifts his fore legs from the 



