THE CANTER. 157 



According to this system, it is necessary when turning to 

 the right at the canter to use a stronger pressure of the right 

 leg, in order for the horse to lead with his off fore ; and the 

 left leg, in order to turn to the right. The inconsistency is so 

 evident, that it is sufficient to merely point it out. Everyone 

 knows that if a horse has learned to canter with the near fore 

 leading, by means of the support of the left leg, the effect will 

 be to make him change his leg, and not to turn to the right. 



I think it is useless to describe the means by which we 

 make a horse lead with his near fore, because they are 

 naturally the opposite ones to those which we have just 

 described. We ought always to begin the canter with the off 

 fore * leading, and for this object we ought to make the horse 

 circle to the right in the riding school. I never ask the horse 

 to lead with the near fore until I can readily make him canter 

 freely with the off fore leading. This is a matter of a few 

 days, the number of which we cannot exactly fix. Some 

 horses easily lead with the off fore, but others find this 

 difficult to do, although they may be very clever at starting 

 with the near fore leading. 



Horses are like men — some are naturally and by habit 

 right-handed, and others are left-handed. It seems probable 

 that some horses are naturally right-footed ; because, if we 

 did not take account of contracted habits, all horses would be 

 left-footed. 



In fact, when we lead a horse by the bridle on foot, we 

 always keep on his left side, which is also the side on which 

 we feed, saddle, and bridle him. As the horse likes to take 

 notice of what goes on around him, the left is the side towards 

 which he constantly turns his head, and consequently he 

 ought to be more supple to the left than to the right ; but he 



* The rule in riding is to begin all movements to the right. On a, straight 

 line in the open we generally canter with the off fore leading, which is the style 

 adopted by ladies. P'or all reasons it is best to begin the canter in this way. 



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