XXYII. 



Function of the legs. — The legs act on the hind quar- 

 ters. Their business is to communicate the rider's will 

 to the horse in order to move him straight to the front, 

 to make him extend or increase his gaits, and to start him 

 in movements of all kinds. It is also their special busi- 

 ness to control the haunches, to restrict them to the direc- 

 tion pursued by the shoulders or to swing them in refer- 

 ence to the shoulders. Finally, they are used to collect 

 the horse by bringing his hind legs closer to the center 

 of gravity. 



To recapitulate, the legs have three effects: 



(1) To produce a forward movement. 



(2) To swing the haunches in reference to the 



shoulders. 



(3) To bring the hind legs under. 



The simultaneous action of both legs produces a double 

 pressure to which the horse should respond by moving 

 to the front. , 



The action of a single leg, while it incites motion, forces 

 the weight of the hind quarters toward the opposite side. 

 Thus, for instance, if the rider closes his left leg, he pro- 

 duces two effects: a general forward movement of the 

 mass and a right lateral movement of the haunches. 



Unison of the legs. — Whenever one leg acts to swing the 

 haunches, the opposite leg must receive the mass in order 

 to limit and rectify the movement. The legs, therefore, 

 sh'ould always be close enough to the horse to act without 

 sudden jolts and to lend mutual assistance. 



84 



