CHAPTER XIII 

 BACKING AND THE PIROUETTES 



THE pirouettes are revolutions of one end of the 

 horse's body about the other. In the direct pirou- 

 ette, the hind feet remain in place, while the fore 

 feet circle around them, either to the right or to the 

 left. In the reversed pirouette, called rotation by 

 the new school, the shoulders are the fixed point 

 and the haunches turn around them. 



The reversed pirouette is the first movement 

 of the reasoned equitation. It is also the most 

 important, since on its correct and symmetrical 

 execution the entire education depends. It has, 

 moreover, three stages: the reversed pirouette in 

 lateral, which belongs to the lateral equitation; 

 the direct rotation, which belongs to the reasoned 

 equitation; and that in diagonal, which belongs to 

 the scientific equitation. The three terms, lateral, 

 direct, and diagonal, refer to the lateral, direct, and 

 diagonal effects by which the movement is ob- 

 tained. 



The first step in the horse's education is, of course, 

 the position of "in hand"; which has already been 

 considered in the account of the flexions, and will 

 be discussed still further in Chapter XXII. Up to 

 this point the horse has been trained to take the 

 position given by the rider's hand while standing 



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