354 THE HORSE. 



state of freedom, however bad may be the structure of a horse, 

 instinct is sufficient to enable liim to make such a use of his 

 forces as to maintain his equilibrium ; but there are movements 

 which it is impossible that he should make, until a preparatory 

 exercise shall have put him in the way of supplying the defects 

 of his organization by a better combined use of his motive 

 power. A horse puts himself in motion only by means of as- 

 suming a given position ; if his forces be such as to oppose 

 themselves to this position, they must first be annulled, before 

 they can be placed by the only ones which can effect it. 



Now, I ask, if before overcoming these first obstacles, the 

 rider adds to them the weight of his own body, and his unreason- 

 able demands, must not the animal experience still greater diffi- 

 culty in executing certain movements ? The efforts we make to 

 compel him to submission, being contrary to his nature, must 

 we not necessarily find insurmountable opposition? He will 

 naturally resist, and with so much the more advantage, because 

 his forces being ill-distributed, will suffice to paralyze the efforts 

 of his rider. The resistance then emanates, in this case, from 

 a physical cause. This becomes a moral one ft-om the moment 

 when — the struggle going on by the same processes — the horse 

 begins of his own accord to concert means for resisting the tor- 

 ture imposed on him, and when we undertake to force into ope- 

 ration parts, which have not previously been rendered supple, 

 and liable to flexion. 



When things come to this state, they can only from bad 

 become worse. The rider, soon disgusted at the impotence of 

 his own efforts, will throw upon the horse the responsibility of 

 his own ignorance ; he will brand as a jade an animal possess- 

 ing perhaps the most brilliant resources, and of which, with 

 more discernment and tact, he could have made a hackney as 

 docile in character, as graceful and agreeable in his paces. I 

 have often remarked that horses considered indomitable, are 

 those which develope the most energy and vigor, when we know 

 how to remedy those physical def^ts, which prevent their mak- 

 ing use of them. As to those which, in spite of their bad for- 

 mation, are by a similar system made to show a semblance of 

 obedience, we need thank nothing but the softness of their 

 natures. If they can be made to submit to the simplest exer- 



