XXVIII. 



Part played by the neck in equitation. — ^When a horse 

 i^ left to himself and is free to apply his own natural 

 methods, he makes uses of his head and neck as a balancer 

 to keep his forces in equilibrium or to modify their action. 

 If he wishes to go forward, he pushes out his head and 

 extends his neck in order to shift the center of gravity 

 in the direction of the desired movement. If, on the 

 contrary, he wishes to go back, he pulls in his head 

 and shortens his neck, thus starting the mass in the 

 movement to the rear. In lateral movements, oblique 

 or circular, it is the same; the shifting of the head or 

 neck to the right or lefl^ prepares, favors, and controls 

 the animal's action. 



At a walk, the head and neck are in constant motion 

 in order to take weight off the legs that are moving to the 

 front and place weight on those that rest on the ground. 



At a gallop, the balancer is alternately raised and low- 

 ered according as the horse is supported on the hind 

 quarters or on the forehand and is extended or brought 

 in according as the gait is rapid or slow. 



This shifting of the head and neck that we observe in 

 the horse at liberty should be noted when the horse is 

 ridden. The rider should be completely master of the 

 neck, and when he gives his horse the signal for a move- 

 ment should be able at the same time to set the neck 

 in the position most favorable to the execution of the 

 movement. The neck is therefore a steering gear as 

 well as a balancer, and suppling exercises that involve 

 this region necessarily take up a large portion of the time 

 devoted to training. But it is to be noted that these 



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