COMMENTARIES ON BAUCHER. 343 



ing. We must therefore seek elsewhere for the reason which 

 prevented Baucher from riding in the open. 



Baucher being a reformer and consequently a seeker, had 

 no pleasure in leaving a horse to himself, as is done when 

 hacking. He devoted all his life to his work in order to show 

 us the way, which was the only thing that interested him. 

 Riding without working was only a weariness to him. There- 

 fore he never studied the character or manner of riding 

 a hack or hunter ; or the enormous difference between a 

 " closed-in " school horse and an ordinary saddle horse, which 

 is left a good deal to himself. 



As he did not ride outside, he never rode his horses at 

 fast paces, which was wrong ; because a horse passes very 

 easily from an extended position to the rassembler. Full 

 speed, provided that it is not too prolonged, has the advan- 

 tage of allowing the animal to extend himself, and conse- 

 quently to obtain rest, by changing his equilibrium, while at 

 the same time it develops and strengthens his lungs. 



The chief fault of Baucher was that of keeping his horse 

 constantly " enclosed." I think we ought to observe the 

 principle of letting the horse extend himself after each con- 

 cession, during breaking. Finally, I maintain that as a 

 general rule during breaking, we should accustom our mount 

 to extend himself from time to time at the walk, trot and 

 canter. Every form of equilibrium and position ends by 

 fatiguing the horse. If we change one of them, the horse will 

 return to it with pleasure. 



As a last observation I may remark that on page 103 of the 

 fourteenth edition of his book, Baucher repeats a conversation 

 which he had at Berlin with some German officers who were 

 supposed to know something about horses. They said t " We 

 like to have our horses in front of the hand." Baucher 

 replied : " I like mine to be behind the hand, and in front of 

 the legs." 



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