THE SCIENTIFIC EQUITATION 



horses, obtained the jambette by holding the right 

 snaffle rein in the right hand, high, and the curb 

 reins low in the left in order to maintain the horse's 

 head near the perpendicular, while my legs confine 

 themselves to the effects needed for the gallop. 



It is evident that, to obtain the gallop on three 

 legs, the horse must be morally and physically per- 

 fect, or else have been adequately developed by its 

 previous training. Moreover, the rider must him- 

 self possess delicate equestrian tact, and have per- 

 fect control over his effects. Even then, he will not 

 always be successful, unless he has already ed- 

 ucated several horses in the scientific equitation. 



The gallop on three legs is a beautiful demonstra- 

 tion of the power of the man's effects over the an- 

 imal; but it is of use only for this purpose and in the 

 manege. Outside the manege, the air has no value 

 whatever. It is, then, reasonable enough to teach 

 the air to the manege horse, but not to horses that 

 are for other service; and in general I think that the 

 strength of the horse and the tact of the rider are 

 better spent on more useful movements. I even go 

 so far as to say that the gallop on three legs is a 

 source of danger both in the case of a beginner and 

 of a master who is training an animal for some one 

 else to ride. For if the rider of a horse trained to the 

 gallop on three legs is not a thoroughly competent 

 esquire, he will not always use exactly the correct 

 means to obtain the change of lead at the gallop, 

 the change of direction, or the stop. He may, in 



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