BACKING. 379 



fore parts, should pass over its proper limits, the movement 

 Avould become painful, impossible, in fact, and occasion on the 

 part of the animal sudden, violent movements, which are always 

 injurious to his organization. 



On the other hand, the side motions of the croup out of the 

 true line of action, by destroying the harmony which should 

 exist between the relative forces of fore and hind parts, also 

 hinder the proper execution of the backing. The previous 

 exercise to which we have subjected the croup, will aid us in 

 keeping it in a right line with the shoulders, and in so preserv- 

 ing the necessary transfer of the forces and weight. 



To commence the movement, the rider should first assure 

 himself that the haunches are on a line with the shoulders, and 

 the horse light in hand ; then he may slowly close his legs, in 

 order that the action which they communicate to the hind 

 parts of the horse, may make him lift one of his hind legs, and 

 prevent the body from yielding, before the neck gives to his 

 hand. It is then that the immediate pressure of the bit, forcing 

 the horse to regain his equilibrium behind, will produce the 

 first part of the backing. As soon as the horse obeys, the rider 

 will instantly give the hand to reward the animal, and not to 

 force the play of his fore parts. If his croup be displaced, the 

 rider will bring it back by means of his leg, and if necessary, 

 use for this purpose the snafiie-rein on that side. 



After having defined what I call the true movement of 

 backing, I ought to explain what I understand by shrinking 

 back so as to avoid the bit. This movement is so painful to the 

 horse, so ungraceful, and so much opposed to the right develop- 

 ment of his mechanism, that it cannot fail to have struck any 

 one who has occupied himself at all with horsemanship. We 

 force a horse backward in this way, whenever we crowd his 

 forces and weight too much upon his hind parts ; by so doing 

 we destroy his equilibrium, and render grace, measure, and cor- 

 rectness impossible. Lightness, always lightness ! this is the 

 basis, the touchstone of all beautiful execution. With this, all 

 is easy, to the horse as well as to the rider. That being the 

 case, it is to be understood that the difiiculty of horsemanship 

 does not consist in the direction which is to be given to the 

 horse, but in the position which he must be made to assume — a 



