THE REASONED EQUITATION 



All masters of equitation have heretofore advo- 

 cated putting the legs in contact with the horse's 

 flanks and holding them there until the pupil makes 

 one or two or more steps forward. I differ com- 

 pletely with this idea. The horse, standing, has all 

 four limbs directly below its body. But in order for 

 it to move forward, one of the fore legs, executing the 

 three movements of the stride, must reach forward 

 and come to the ground, ready to receive the 

 weight. It thereupon becomes the fixed point upon 

 which the great pectoralis acts to pull the body 

 forward. But an acting muscle pulls one of its ends 

 toward the other; not both ends toward the middle. 

 If, then, the rider's two legs press equally upon the 

 middle of the great pectoralis muscles, their natural 

 action is prevented. All that the horse can then do 

 is to stop; or if it be energetic or violent, to rear; or 

 possibly to back, if the fixed point on which the 

 muscles pull is the pelvis, the haunches, the ilium, 

 or the loins. It is some improvement on the usual 

 procedure gently to open and close the legs, making 

 little repetitions of the contact. But even this is 

 not completely satisfactory. 



I advocate, therefore, this device. First, I make 

 contact with both legs. Then, still keeping contact 

 with one leg, with the other, very gently, I make 

 and break contact, my leg never going more than 

 half an inch out from the animal's body. Very soon, 

 I see the fore leg on the same side take its forward 

 stride, and at the same time I feel under me the 



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