234 THE ARMY HORSE. 



when one begins to ride them. By making them go fast, 

 without having previously balanced them, one succeeds only 

 in putting their weight more and more forward, and in pre- 

 maturely spoiling them. Such animals carry the head low 

 and the neck on a level with the withers, they are ugly, every 

 effort in turning or stopping is painful to them, and they 

 readily fall. Being able to place the head and neck as they 

 like, they can effectively resist the aids. In fact the neck 

 must be high and the head almost perpendicular, in order that 

 the curb may act with all its power. 



The curb loses the greater part of its action on the bars, 

 when the head is low, in which case it is not much more severe 

 than a snaffle, and the horse gets out of hand. It is acknow- 

 ledged that a very large percentage of troop horses refuse to 

 leave the ranks, which is a fact that proves that they are 

 badly broken. 



A horse which will not obey is not broken. What a 

 poor result is obtained by a year or more of irrational 

 work ! 



The military regulations ought to insist that the breaking 

 should be conducted in such a manner that the remounts 

 would be fit to go into the ranks on the ist April, in case of 

 mobilisation, which would entail a breaking of only three 

 months' duration. But in time of peace this period of break- 

 ing is intentionally prolonged for an entire year, and the 

 remounts are not sent into the ranks until the following year. 

 To justifj' this practice, it is alleged that those regiments 

 which put remounts into the ranks after three months' 

 breaking, are those which use up most horses. This may be 

 possible ; but I have my doubts. 



The truth is that remounts which are badly prepared by 

 insufficient food and exercise, are prematurely broken down 

 by the mere breaking. Rational breaking is, on the contrary, 

 much quicker, and so far from fatiguing them develops them 



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