THE LEGS AND THEIR EFFECTS 



There is, in addition, a second way of render- 

 ing the legs, which though unrecognized by the 

 reasoned equitation, is far too much practiced 

 namely, the loss of all contact with the horse's 

 flanks. To do this, one ought to be very sure of his 

 seat, his horse, and his surroundings. Even then it 

 is wiser to confine this meaning of the verb "to 

 render " to occasions when the horse is standing 

 still. Evidently, rendering the legs with the horse 

 in motion, should not involve, at the same time, 

 rendering the hands. One who does this is said to 

 " abandon" his mount, a serious fault. 



Thus far, for the sake of simplicity, I have 

 spoken as if the effect of the rider's legs on the 

 horse's body were the same, whatever the precise 

 region of the contact. This is not, however, entirely 

 the fact. There really are three different effects 

 corresponding to three different positions. 



Contact well forward near the girths tends to 

 collect the horse and to aid the hand in establishing 

 the state of equilibrium. This position tends also to 

 keep the animal in equilibrium during movement. 



Contact far back against the flank, on the other 

 hand, tends to draw the hind legs forward under 

 the center of gravity, and thus to favor stopping, or 

 even going backwards. 



The intermediate position between these two is 

 the one which sends the horse forward, as already 

 discussed. 



These three different ways of using the legs, 



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