THE DEFENSES OF THE HORSE 



This is Baucher's principle. Fillis advocates de- 

 stroying the contraction while the horse is still 

 moving. But a rider of Fillis's ability can do this 

 without danger of confusing his mount, since his 

 seat is so secure that he can resist the defenses 

 which follow the contraction without impairing his 

 effects of hand and legs. But the student or the 

 ordinary rider cannot do this. If he attempts it, he 

 endangers the temper of the horse and the sound- 

 ness of its limbs. Moreover, the horse gets the idea 

 that it can refuse by contracting; and when the 

 rider applies his effects in correction, the horse dis- 

 covers that it can resist these by bounding. All this 

 it retains in its memory for use whenever it wishes 

 to defend itself against the rider. 



Baucher, on the contrary, always starts from the 

 equestrian axiom: The horse's position of supple- 

 ness and balance make possible the execution of 

 the movement asked. This position, since it is the 

 foundation of every movement, must be permanent. 

 To permit the animal to conceive the possibility of 

 movement when not occupying this position is to 

 accustom it to the possibility of contractions, re- 

 fusals, and bounds. But to stop the horse at the 

 first sign of contraction, to restore its suppleness at 

 once, and only then to carry it forward, is to im- 

 press upon its memory the impossibility of moving 

 unless supple and balanced. To follow out this 

 principle invariably develops with the progress of 

 the instruction a second nature in the horse, bene- 



320 



