THE ARMY HORSE. 235 



and gets them into hard condition, which is a truth that I 

 have demonstrated by incontestable facts. 



I imagine that men would adapt themselves much more 

 readily to the kind of breaking I have described than to the 

 violent exercises which they have to go through, and which 

 discourages them, because they do not know the reason. 

 Instead of Interesting them in riding and inspiring them with 

 love for horses, which should be the master feeling of a rider, 

 they are often made to suffer through the horses, and the 

 horses through them. People may say that my breaking is 

 too elaborate. How is it, then, that it is not found to be too 

 elaborate by Germans, whose dominant quality is certainly 

 not elaboration ? Why do they work troop horses indi- 

 vidually much more than they do in France ? Why do they 

 begin by balancing them? Why do they adopt rational 

 breaking, instead of knocking up their horses ? Why do their 

 horses last for a long time ? Alas 1 the reason for this is that 

 they have profited by the teaching which has come to them 

 from France ; but in this classic country of riding we are kept 

 back by routine. 



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