BACKING AND THE PIROUETTES 



holds the two snaffle reins close behind the chin. 

 The whip is in his left hand, lash near the horse's 

 flank. 



The horse being held straight and "in hand," 

 the trainer, with his right hand, pushes the ani- 

 mal's head straight to the left, while, at the same 

 time, by means of the whip, he checks the natural 

 movement of the haunches toward the right. Thus, 

 by pushing the fore hand round in one direction, 

 and at the same time preventing the hind hand 

 from circling after it, the trainer soon obtains the 

 first step of the pirouette. Then follows the usual 

 pause and caressing ; and shortly, the animal learns 

 to complete the action. After this, the direction is 

 reversed. 



BACKING 



THE pirouette has now taught the horse to mobil- 

 ize the fore hand. The reversed pirouette or revo- 

 lution has taken care of the hind hand. There still 

 remains the mobilization of the entire length of 

 the spine, from the atlas region to the last of the 

 sacral vertebrae. While this remains straight and 

 rigid, correct locomotion is not possible. 



Flexion of the spine hinges on the " coupling" 

 between the last dorsal vertebra and the first sacral, 

 which has to bend with each step forward, side- 

 wise, or backward. Unfortunately, this articula- 

 tion tends to become ankylosed with advancing age, 

 and even in a young animal the unnatural load of 



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