Co ORDINARY RIDING. 



he will always be certain to obtain by flexion the benefits 

 which he has a right to expect. 



To thoroughly explain the mechanism of flexion, I have 

 been obliged to suppose that the horse was halted. But 

 I must explain, contrary to what is everywhere practised, 

 that I begin the direct flexion while going forward. With 

 this object, I place myself at the shoulder of the horse, 

 v/hich I stimulate by a click of the tongue, while drawing 

 him forward by a stronger feeling of the reins of the snaffle 

 (Fig. ii). Apart from this, the flexion is done exactly as I 

 have indicated. 



- When I have obtained a certain number of flexions of 

 the jaw, I let the horse walk freely beside me for a few 

 moments, and I carefully avoid prolonging the flexions, 

 although I frequently begin them again. When the 

 horse has got into the habit of readily doing the direct 

 flexion at the first indication of the reins by relaxing his 

 jaw, the breaker should modify his method in order to 

 make the animal assume as nearly as possible the conditions 

 he will be under when mounted. This will be a new form 

 of work. 



The breaker, always in the same position, and being on 

 the near side of the horse, holds the reins of the curb and 

 snaffle in his right hand at about six inches from the jaw. 

 The left hand holds the end of the snaffle reins and the 

 cutting whip, the point of which he keeps on a level with 

 the animal's side. Under these conditions, at the moment 

 when the right hand demands the direct flexion, the whip 

 performs the office of making the horse go forward, as before 

 described (Fig. 4). 



We are then placed under the same conditions as when 

 mounted. No longer, as was recently done, the forehand 

 draws forward the hind quarters, which now get under the 

 body, and propel the forehand on the head held by the 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



