62 ORDINARY RIDING. 



in front, he is also behind his bit, and should be immediately 

 sent forward. 



A horse may be behind his bit without backing, and this 

 may happen even without the animal moving his feet. He 

 will have this tendency if a perpendicular dropped from the 

 point of his buttocks comes behind his hocks, in which case 

 the weight will be on his hind quarters. We should then act 

 energetically on the snaffle, in order to bring the body for- 

 ward and maintain the balance of the body during flexion, or 

 to avoid a return of the tendency to get behind the bit. 



After this preparation, direct flexion becomes easy when 

 mounted, especially as the action of the legs in propelling the 

 horse on the hand is more energetic and effective than that 

 of the whip. 



Here the chief point is to begin, not by the action of the 

 hand, but by that of the legs, which ought to be used 

 progressively. In mounted work, as in flexion on foot, it is, 

 of course, necessary that the hand makes the concession at the 

 moment when the horse yields, in order to retake its action 

 immediately afterwards. The entire practice of flexions is 

 comprised in timely taking and giving. It is, of course, 

 understood that the legs should always remain close to the 

 animal's sides, as much for obtaining a definite concession of 

 the jaw as for avoiding the tendency to get behind the bit. 

 It is also taken for granted that the flexion should never be 

 made at a halt, when the horse is mounted, which is a most 

 objectionable practice. As we can obtain relaxation of the 

 jaw only by light touches of the spur, the horse contracts the 

 habit of resting on the spur when standing still. As we have 

 then no means of making him go forward, or of preventing 

 him from reining back, he becomes restive.* This result is all 



* Baucher made the mistake of practising the flexion when mounted at 

 a, halt. He naturally proceeded by light touches of the spur. Only his 

 great tact saved him from making his horses restive. 



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