REACTIONS 307 



him the occasion for making reactiions. If he is 

 required a second time to i^art from other horses 

 this will give rise to his refusing it by making 

 reactions to the first aid applied to get him to 

 separate from them. 



The most important thing to observe in riding 

 horses is to avoid giving them opportunities to 

 learn to make reactions since prevention is better 

 than cure as was remarked by Santapaulina in the 

 seventeenth century. With a view to avoiding such 

 opportunities care must be taken not to do many 

 things and to do many others. — The horse should 

 not be ridden outside the riding school if mastery 

 of him has not first been obtained inside, — if 

 he is not in a confident and obedient frame of 

 mind and well in hand, — if he has not been 

 accustomed to seeing many objects without fear. 

 — He should also not be ridden even in the 

 riding school if he is not obedient and resolute 

 in the trot and if he does not go forward on the 

 slightest aid, because otherwise he might make reac- 

 tions, and after having done so it cannot be obli- 

 terated from his mind. 



