CHAPTER VIII 

 THE REASONED EQUITATION 



WE owe the reasoned equitation largely to Baucher. 

 Before his day, even in ancient times, men had, 

 indeed, an idea of the need of the state of equilib- 

 rium on the part of the horse; and they had 

 tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain this by various 

 methods, often complicated, and involving series 

 of movements and also mechanical devices. Bau- 

 cher not only created a system for obtaining the 

 state of equilibrium; in addition, in his L 1 Equitation 

 Raisonnee, he set forth the principles on which the 

 whole reasoned equitation is based. 



These are in brief: 



The state of equilibrium is not the result of any 

 instincts of the horse; but, on the contrary, is 

 imposed upon the horse by the rider, in the form of 

 an increased muscular activity which the rider 

 stimulates. 



The horse, compelled to the state of equilibrium 

 by the man, is itself in a state of complete submis- 

 sion, in which it cannot use its brute strength to 

 resist its rider, but can nevertheless execute any 

 natural movement with the least possible waste of 

 energy. 



The weight of the man, also in equilibrium upon 



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