USUAL OR INSTINCTIVE EQUITATION 



hand, the nails up. He keeps the same cadence as 

 the horse, the man's leg striding with the corre- 

 sponding fore leg of the animal. As the horse plants 

 its left foot, the man quickly advances his own 

 right foot to a position near the left, and before 

 the horse again lifts its left foot, the man bends 

 slightly his knees, springs into the air, pulling him- 

 self by his left hand, and immediately passes his 

 right leg over the haunches of his mount, shifting 

 his left hand at the same instant to bring the nails 

 below like the other. This movement needs decision, 

 quickness of action, and energy on the part of the 

 man, since he must be on the back of the horse 

 before the latter's right fore foot returns to the 

 ground after its stride. No time, therefore, can be 

 lost. 



When the rider is mounted and the horse continues 

 its canter, the man should, for the sake of his future 

 progress, learn to feel the jolt of the horse's motion, 

 and to neutralize this by the relaxation of his mus- 

 cles and the suppleness of his spine, all in the ex- 

 act cadence of the step. For it is on this sense of 

 cadence that everything else depends. If the pupil 

 has not that, he will begin his movement too early 

 or too late, and thus render the maneuver most 

 distressing to the spectator and nearly impossible 

 for himself. 



When the pupil has become accustomed to the 

 canter cadence, he may be set to practicing the 

 following progressive series of movements: 



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