CHANGES OF LEG AT EACH STRIDE. 271 



used. If the rider's inward leg does not instantly receive the 

 change of leg which his outward leg sends it, the horse will 

 naturally put his croup sideways. Under these conditions, 

 the changes of leg are never regular or well done. And, as it 

 always takes two or three strides to straighten a horse, it 

 will be impossible to do these changes with short intervals 

 between them. 



On the outside the evil is less, because the wall prevents 

 tire haunches from being brought too much round. 



When the changes are correctly done with both legs to 

 the right and to the left, and especially in the corners of the 

 school, I only then begin to regulate them, which it is 

 impossible to do before being certain that the horse will 

 change each time, and at the moment I want him. 



At first I content myself with getting him to change in 

 every eight or ten strides of the canter, and I derpand only a 

 single change on each leg. If he becomes excited, he should 

 be stopped and practised again at starting. 



To be on good terms with the horse, it is necessary to 

 count the strides of the canter. For example, when going to 

 the right, with the horse cantering with the off fore, I count 

 I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, each number marking a stride. At the sixth 

 I make him change, and then I make him do the same work 

 with the near fore leading. If the horse does correctly the 

 two changes I have asked, I stop him and pat him on the 

 neck. I then begin again by requiring him to do only a 

 single change on each leg. 



At the end of a few days, when I feel that the horse does 

 this work freely, I demand four and then six changes, always 

 at the sixth stride. As long as the horse does this work in a 

 tranquil frame of mind, I gradually increase the number of 

 changes at the sixth stride, or, as it is said, at the sixth 

 " time," but without over-doing it. 



If the horse gets excited I stop him, but I do not pat him, 



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