CANTER ON THREE LEGS. 303 



only under which condition is this exercise interesting and 

 brilhant. 



If the reader lias attentively followed my explanations, he 

 will know that accustoming the horse to the pressure of the 

 legs prepares him for this school movement, which is very 

 difficult for the animal to understand and do. In fact, up to 

 this, he has learned only to raise, extend, and place his legs on 

 the ground, one after the other ; but now he is required to 

 e.Ktend only one leg, and to keep it in that position. 



The canter with the off fore in the air has only three beats 

 on the ground — the first made by the near hind, the second by 

 the off hind, and the third by the near fore. The fourth time 

 is marked in the air by the off fore, which is fully extended 

 and kept as high as possible. 



Before putting a horse to this work, we should wait until he 

 is perfectly broken, and until he will offer no resistance. At 

 this time, I have at my disposal two movements which have 

 been separately learned, namely, the ordinary canter to the 

 right, and the extension of the off fore. From the combina- 

 tion of these two exercises, in which my left leg is my chief 

 helper, I obtain the canter to the right on three legs. 



It seems, in theory, that I ought to easily obtain the canter 

 to the right on three legs, by vigorously using the left spur. 

 But, in practice, this is not so simple ; because, having put my 

 horse into the canter, the use of the left spur will do no good ; 

 for it will make him bring his haunches to the right, or get 

 away, but it will not make him extend his off fore. 



We should therefore canter the horse to the right, and, 

 having halted him, make him extend his off fore. When he 

 has done this, we should pat him on the neck, and then begin 

 again several times. 



When the horse extends the leg without difficulty during 

 the halt, we should make him go through the same 

 performance, during a shorter halt. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



