202 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



distance journeys that so often fall to the lot of the 

 cavalry horse, as demonstrated in the long-distance 

 riding competitions on the Continent. Lieutenant 

 Allut, 28th (French) Dragoons, who won the com- 

 petition in 1904, said that in selecting the horse from 

 his squadron he went not so much by its history as 

 by its balance : when he found a w^ell-built horse 

 which was light in the forehand he knew that he 

 had one which would not easily tire and go lame 

 from carrying all the weight on its forelegs. 



As the General explains, " in training a horse we 

 should not only aim at teaching him to hold himself 

 in the correct position at the different paces and 

 movements, but also at developing the necessary 

 muscles for keeping him permanently so placed or 

 balanced." I shall have more to say on the way in 

 which this can be done later on. 



So much for the foundation of the training neces- 

 sary for every description of riding horse. When 

 he has been made to undergo it we can proceed to 

 specialize for the particular work which we require 

 the animal to perform; be it hunting, polo, show 

 jumping, or mounted combat ; and it will repay us 

 well if his mind has been developed as well as his 

 muscle. 



