«i^ ^ The Manual of Equitation of The French Army for ,', 1912 ^ .^■^^jd JOHNA.SEAVERNS o The Manual of Equitation of The French Army for 1912 Translated at The Cavalry School ! E» 9. CANTRY KIO CAVALRY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/manualofequitati1912fran FOREWORD Were there no sound theory of horsemanship based upon simple practical principles, mounted instruction of troops could not be progressive and systematic, and young officers would not be sufficiently equipped to accomplish their tasks as instructors. The Manual of Equitation and Horse Training is in- tended to furnish this much needed information. It contains, however, no innovations, but merely sums up the teachings of the old Masters, such as, Pluvinel, de la Guerin- iere, Comte d'Aure, Boucher, Generals L'Hotte, Faverot de Kubrech, de Baeuchesne and Jules de Benoist, and applies to horse training, the known laws of the association of sensations, as well as the traditional principles of The Cavalry School. While paying due respect to the fundamental rules of class- ical equitation, everything that is no longer adapted to present day conditions in the employment of the horse must be elimin- ated, and only that which is simple and practical retained. The Manual comprises three principal parts : 1. The Education of the Rider. 2. The Education of the Horse. 3. The Use of the Trained Horse. Part / treats of the instruction of the rider according to his grade in the military system. It is necessary to simplify the instruction of the recruit in order to hasten his entry into ranks and at the same time, to push the training of the horse as far as possible. These opposing considerations have made it necessary to modify former methods. The principles remaining always the same, instruction should henceforth be modified according to the ability and re- quirements of the different classes of pupils, i.e., young soldiers, reenlisted men, noncommissioned officers who are to train remounts, or the officers charged with instruction. The instruction is classified as, Elementarij, Secondary and Su- perior equitation, according to the classes to which addressed. 11 In order to abridge this manual, it has seemed best not to repeat in Chapter I, which is devoted to Elementary Equita- tion, the lessons prescribed for recruits which are set forth in Part II of the Drill Regulations. But the Board has tried to indicate those things which should influence the instructor in the course of his daily lessons. Secondary Equitation treats of the management of the horse (conduite du cheval) ; it includes a detailed study of the natural aids, with a brief reference to the artificial aids. This chapter has been drawn up according to the principles of the School of Versailles, transmitted to The Cavalry School by Comte d'Aure, whose "course in equitation" (cours d'equi- tation) approved by War Department regulations dated April 9, 1853, sets forth the means by which a rider may overcome or avoid the difficulties which arise from the use of the horse. Chapter III is devoted to Superior Equitation, and gives only a general view of the purpose and means employed. The genius of high schooling (the haute ecole) is the genius of art and does not lend itself to words. Part II treats of the education of the horse. It consists of two divisions, in which are set forth the best methods for con- ditioning and breaking (debourrage) the young horse, and the rules which govern his training (dressage) . It studies the mental characteristics of the horse, and the principles that may serve in the establishment of an equestrian language which is indispensable for the accord of rider and mount; and it gives the g;y^mnastic exercises which enable the horse to respond to the requirements of man. A table sets forth the several phases of this education and the work which corresponds to each phase. This table is merely a guide and should be considered only as a type of systematic progressive training. Part III assumes both man and horse to be trained and lays down the necessary rules for the use of the horse out of doors under normal conditions and in combat. The principles here given may serve as a basis for the mounted instruction given Ill to noncommissioned officers and to former soldiers (on mobilization) . The manual does not pretend to solve all the problems which may arise; long practice with the horse alone is capable of that. Its object is only to put current ideas in order and to facilitate the tasks of the instructors to whom it is exclusively addressed. Officers may draw from it the appropriate principles to impart to those under their command. But they alone, the officers, be it understood, must be qualified with the knowledge and ability to demonstrate and explain these principles. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page P'oreword i General principles — Object and divisions ix PART I— EDUCATION OF THE RIDER Chapter I. Elementary Equitation: A. School of the Trooper 1 B. Role of the Instructor in the School of the Trooper 1 Qualities of the Instructor J- Objectives 2 Establishing the confidence of the rider 2 Means of holding on 2 (a) The seat 3 (b) The stirrups 3 Special gymnastics for the rider 4 Mounted position 5 Suppling exercises 6 Chapter II. Secondary Equitation: The management of the horse 9 Par. I. Study of the aids : Aptitudes 9 Natural aids 10 Action of the legs 10 Action of the reins 11 Accord of the aids 15 Par. II. Mastery of the aids 26 Par. III. Use of the aids 28 Tact of the hand , 29 Chapter III. Superior Equitation (education of the officer) 31 PART II.— EDUCATION OF THE HORSE Chapter I. The Riding Horse: Qualities of the riding horse 32 The model 34 Quality 36 The breeding 36 Relation between breeding and training „ 36 Chapter II. Generalities : Influence and responsibility of the commanding officer 37 Influence and the responsibility of the troop commander 38 Qualities of the instructor and the trainers 38 Care given on arrival in the regiment 39 Object of the education of the young horse 39 Divisions — Breaking 41 Training 41 General rules 42 Circumstances which may influence the duration of the education of the young horse 42 VI Pftyn Chapter III. Breaking: Objects in breaking — Phases 43 Importance of work 44 Work not mounted 44 Work on the longe 44 Accustoming to the saddle 47 Mounting lessons 48 Training to bear the saber 49 Mounted work 49 Elementary lessons in the aids 50 To move forward 50 Halting 51 Turning 52 Backing 53 First lessons at the gallop 53 Preliminary conditioning 54 Organization of sections : Leaders 55 Value of the various gaits 55 Defenses of the young horse 56 Use of the double bridle 57 Preparation of the colt for his ultimate use in case of mobilization 57 Hygiene 58 Shedding and the period on grass 58 Choice of ground 58 Individual work 59 Harness 59 First instruction over obstacles 59 Leading 60 On the longe 60 At liberty 61 Mounted 61 Chapter IV. Training: General 63 Principle factors in training 64 The rider 64 The work 64 Time 65 Psychology of training, influence of character and conformation 65 Limit of training 66 Basis of an equestrian language 66 Principles of movement 69 Impulsion 69 Balance 70 Locomotion 72 Vll Fafjc Role and position of the head in movement 72 Role and position of the neck 73 The ramener 74 Gymnastics of the young horse 75 Resistance 75 To obtain engagement of the hind quarters and mobility of the haunches 76 Extending and collecting the gaits 77 The halt. The half halt 78 False gallop 80 Backing 80 Suppling of the spinal column 81 To obtain free play of the shoulders 82 To obtain suppleness of the jaw 83 Two tracks and shoulder-in 85 The extended trot 87 Obtaining balance 88 Remarks on the gaits 88 The gallop depart 91 Conditioning 95 Jumping, the horse mounted 96 PART III.— APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF EQUITATION AND HORSE TRAINING TO THE USE OF THE HORSE Chapter I. Use of the Horse: The horse straight 99 To change the gait and in a given gait to change speed 100 To maintain a given gait and a given rate 101 Change of direction 102 Galloping a horse 105 Cross country and over obstacles 106 Individual combat 108 Chapter II. Defense of the Riding Horse: Ignorant horses 109 Horses that are afraid 109 Horses with bad conformation 110 Stubborn horses 110 Horses that rear 110 Horses that kick HO Horses that fight the hand HI Horses that lower the head against the chest Ill Horses that star gaze HI Excitable horses : Horses that jig 112 Horses that pull 112 Horses that open the jaw or pass the tongue over the bit 113 Table showing the successive phases in the education of the young horse 113 IX MANUAL OF EQUITATION AND HORSE TRAINING GENERAL PRINCIPLES Object and Divisions. The object of military equitation is to produce troopers skillful in the management of their horses under all circumstances and over any country. Mounted instruction therefore comprises the practice of approved methods for instructing recruits; the study and use of the indispensable principles for mounted instruction of old soldiers and noncommissioned officers; finally the application of approved rules in the training of remounts. The study of military equitation is divided into three parts : 1. The education of the rider. 2. The education of the young horse. 3. The application of the principles of equitation and horse training to the use of the horse. Part I. Education of the Rider. The education of the rider assumes a trained horse. This part of the instruction comprises that which is particularly applicable to the man ; it describes the qualities of the instructor and the methods to be followed to develop the rider's aptitude. It aims to establish the moral quality of confidence, and the physical quality of muscular suppleness. It teaches the best means for holding on, and prescribes the principles applying to the position of the rider, as well as those for the guidance and use of the horse. The achievement of the above qualities, necessary to the educated rider, requires fixed principles and much practice. The instruction, however, can not be the same for all grades of the military service. Elementary Equitation, is that given to recruits, and its phases are contained in The School of the Trooper, Mounted ; it comprises only that which is absolutely essential to the trooper in ranks. Secondary Equitation, forms the principle object of this manual. It is intended for the use of instructors, who can draw from it the ideas to impart to noncommissioned officers and selected troopers in the course of their instruction. Instruction in Superior Equitation is more especially re- served for officers who, besides being skillful and bold riders, should endeavor to acquire all the fiyiesse of the art. It is the object of the riding instruction given at The Cavalry School. These several teachings differ from each other only in their extent and in the indication of methods, which are more or less elementary or scientific according to the ability of the riders to whom they are addressed ; they are all based upon the same principles, however, and tend toward the same objective, which is to insure a unity of doctrine indispensable to the proper use and progress of the Cavalry. Part II. The Education of the Horse. The education of the horse assumes, on the other hand, a trained rider; it em- braces the study of everything which concerns the horse. It considers his mental constitution, and the means for establish- ing his confidence ; his temperament, his conditioning, and then the laws of balance and animal locomotion from which are derived the actual principles of training. Part III. Application of the Principles of Equitation AND Horse Training to the Use of the Horse. This part considers the trained rider mounted on the trained horse and lays down rules for use in the daily work. Observation. There is nothing fixed in these divisions; in practice they overlap more or less. Nevertheless, in assigning a place to ideas and a place to facts, this division tends toward the clarity necessary in the extensive domain of equitation ; it directs the efforts of the instructor or rider according to the location of faults — ^the ignorance or awkwardness of the man or the weakness or bad will of the horse. PART I EDUCATION OF THE RIDER Chapter I ELEMENTARY EQUITATION A SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER (See French Cavalry Drill Regulations, Pt. I, Art. 2.) B ROLE OF THE INSTRUCTOR IN THE SCHOOL OF THE TROOPER Qualities of the Instructor. The instructor is the principle agent in riding instruction. He should be a horse- man; a man of character and force; he should always be an example of propriety, dignity, accuracy and determination. He establishes a logical progression conforming to the spirit of the Drill Regulations; he assures the regular sequence of steps in the course, he keeps his pupils alert by the variety of his instruction : and each day brings out a new but contem- plated element. The explanations which he gives while mounted are reduced to strict necessity. They are formulated with precision and pronounced in such a manner and place that every rider may hear them. They are never given during fast gaits. On the other hand, no individual fault in the rider's position or his m.anagement of the horse should be allowed to pass without correction; it is only by incessant criticism of the same error that a faulty habit may be corrected. To sum up, the instructor analyses each of the difficulties into as many elements as is necessary in order for them to be overcome. He conducts the work methodically, increasing his requirements gradually. He keeps in mind that progress does not come from the — 2— movement itself, but from the manner in which it is executed. These prescriptions, taken together, form the general scheme (esprit de methode) of instruction, but not the soul which depends upon the personality of the instructor. The instructor should, through his ingenuity and pride in his role, discover ideas to introduce and expressions to use which will strike the imagination, amuse, persuade, draw out, and communicate to all his enthusiasm, his self-denial, and his faith. Objectives. The preparatory work described in regulations, v.'ith appropriate moderations, involves some developments from the instructor's point of view, without which his work v/ill not produce the desired results. The successive objectives in this first part of the instruction are: To give confidence to the rider; to give him means for holding on ; to lead him to acquire independence in the use of his aids ; to give him the proper mounted position. Establishing the Confidence of the Rider. The mount- ed instruction of the recruit is hindered at the beginning by an unreasoning, instinctive revolt of his nervous and muscular systems which leads to contraction. This is overcome by mounted gymnastics and suppling exercises, by having the recruit ride by the side of an older man who leads the recruit's horse by the longe, and by out-of-door work. The particular contractions which show up from the begin- ning of individual work will disappear with the practice of the suppling exercises prescribed in the School of the Trooper. In order to lose none of their useful effects, a logical order must be followed; beginning with the seat, then the loins, shoulders, arms and head; movements of the thighs and legs must not be undertaken until ease of the body is obtained. The best suppling, however, is good humor, which leads promptly and directly to confidence. Means for Holding On. As soon as confidence is obtained, we must give the rider means for holding on, in order to progress with his instruction. The rider is maintained in his saddle by means of his "seat" and the stirrups. — 3— (a) The seat. "Seat" is that quality which permits the rider to remain master of his equilibrium under all circum- stances, whatever may be the reactions of the horse. It is the principle quality to be sought, because it is the basis of stability, and therefore of confidence, and is prereq- uisite of good hands, without which neither management nor training is possible, A good seat results from a general decontraction, particular- ly from suppleness of the loin. The road to it is opened by appropriate gymnastics; it is acquired only after a sufficient amount of trotting and galloping without stirrups, and from riding many different horses. This last item is most necessary to put the rider truly with his horse. Decontraction requires long practice; and in seeking too much in the beginning, we risk abrasions and fatigue — and go contrary to the end in view. (b) The stiy'rwps. It is necessary, then, in order to quickly give confidence to recruits, to make use of a second means of security which will permit them to remain mounted longer and to progress without chafing and without damage to the mouths of their horse — the stirrups. The trot without stirrups will rarely be used except in the riding hall, or for short rides out-of-doors as a suppling ex- ercise or proof of decontraction. The periods of the trot will at first be short and frequent, then lengthened gradually, to push down the thighs and place the seat ; all of the riding-hall work, including jumping, should then be done without stirrups. Long periods of work out-of-doors, instruction in the use of arms, etc., should be done with stirrups. Routine work, long sessions out-of-doors, marches and ma- neuvers, in a word — time — accomplishes the end begun with- out stirrups in the preparatory work, and gives the men as good a seat as they can acquire in their short term of service. In this manner the recruits are prepared for the second part of their instruction, the management of the horse (la conduite du cheval). — 4- Special Gymnastics for the Rider. The management of the horse depends upon the independence in the use of the aids — the basis of their future accord. This independence is the result of special exercises to which the young rider should be subjected from the beginning of the preparatory work. The instructor endeavors to obtain: (1) The independence of the hands ivith respect to the 7yiove7nents of the body and legs. To obtain this result the instructor requires flexions of the body, progressively more accentuated forward, backward, right and left, suppling of the shoulders, etc. In all these movements the hand or hands which hold the reins should remain in place without stiffness, in contact with the horse's mouth, but independent of the movements of the rider's body. It is necessary to work in a similar manner with the legs. The movements incident to the exercises of raising and rotating the thighs, and of bending the knees should not be conveyed to the rider's hand and therefore should not effect the horse's mouth. (2) The independence of hands and legs with respect to each other. In order to obtain this freedom of the hands and of the legs, the instructor uses the suppling exercises tending to isolate and to render independent, the movements of a hand or a leg v/ith respect to one another. The most useful movements to obtain the result sought are the rotation of one arm to the rear, first blows to the front and rear, stroking the horse on the right buttock with the left hand and vice versa, tightening and loosening the girth, etc. The instructor watches always to see that the movement of one of these parts of the body does not cause movement of another. The degree of success attained as a result of this work is proven by extending the gait, while sitting to the trot or trotting without stirrups. If his gymnastic work has been well directed, the joints and members have acquired an independence such that the re- actions of the horse, received by the spinal column, have no deranging effect on the rider's hand, which remains light and steady. From the beginning the riders must be impressed with the importance of these exercises. It is necessary to see, besides, that they neither leave the horse "in the void" nor make too much use of their strength. In a word, one should seek to give them the "feel" of the horse's mouth ("le sentiment de la bouche dii cheval"). This "feel" which is developed gradually will serve to establish the principle of the stretched rein which enables the hand to maintain a gentle contact with the horse's mouth. It must be referred to, and sought from the beginning. Mounted Position. The mounted position is defined in the Drill Regulations. By reason of the positions given them, the hand and leg aids can act with a maximum of promptness, apt- ness, intensity and "finesse." Certain of the suppling exercises facilitate the play of the joints, and permit the correction of physical defects and the overcoming of the resulting contractions. A general suppleness having been acquired, the instructor seeks a new objective, to place the rider and then to fix his position at all gaits, on all horses, and over all terrain. When the instructor commences to take up position he should begin the period at the walk in order to place each rider indi- vidually before taking up the trot. As soon as the positions are deranged, he must retake the walk, replace the riders properly, and start off again. Hence the necessity, at the beginning, for short and frequent periods at the trot. Thus, correct positions wlil be acquired. Fixity on horseback is the absence of all involuntary or useless movement and the reduction to the minimum of those that are indispensable. It is the opposite of bouncing. It permits the aids to act with precision and exactitude, and in consequence it leads to calmness in the horse and contributes to his lightness. It must be understood that regularity of position is subor- dinate to being tvith the horse. — 6— The ability to be with his horse is the most essential quality in the rider. To be well placed generally leads to being with the horse; there are however, some conformations which would only lose by being forced into position. A good position of the rider depends above all on the manner in which his eyes, hands, buttocks, and knees are placed. (a) The fact of his having his eyes alert and sweeping the horizon will lead to the rider's holding his head up, keeping the upper body erect, and sitting down in the saddle. Futhermore, from the beginning, the men acquire the habit of observing what goes on around them. (b) If the hands are well placed, separated as they should be, the nails facing each other, the elbows come against the body naturally ; in consequence, the shoulders are squared, the chest is free, and the head is naturally erect. On the other hand, if the nails are down, the elbows fly out, the shoulders come forward, and close on the chest; the head follows the movement of the shoulders, the eyes are lowered, and at the same time the buttocks tend to slide to the rear. (c) The seat results from the position of the buttocks. They should be as far forward as possible without leading to an exaggerated sinking of the spinal column. (d) If the knees are well turned inward the muscles of the leg are placed under the femur and the flat part of the thigh bears naturally. The position of the knee controls that of the foot, which hangs naturally. Suppling Exercises. It may be seen from the above that the suppling exercises play a very important part in the in- struction of the rider; but that, also, their use demands tact. Used by some instructors, without order or method, they give only medicore results ; by others, however, they very quickly improve even the least gifted riders. Considered together, the suppling exercises have a triple end, they serve to obtain : 1. General suppleness; 2. Independence of the aids; — 7— 3. Regularity of position. The instructor choses and groups for these three objects the exercises which he considers most suitable. In the first two cases the exercises prescribed are addressed to the whole class, since the instructor seeks a general result. In the last case, however, the appropriate exercises should be selected for the individual rider, since it is a question of over- coming an individual defect. It must be remembered also that some of the exercises oppose each other, and hence when they are used the object sought must be clearly understood. Thus, the elevation of the thighs, particularly favorable for placing the seat, evidently destroys the benefits derived from the ro- tation of the thighs, which is intended to bring the flat surface tc bear and to lower the leg. At the end of several weeks of well-conducted instruction, confidence is established and contractions diminish. The riders commence to find and keep the deepest part of their saddles and their joints are freer; in consequence their movements are more controlled. Position is established. It is now time to take up the management of the horse and to set forth the principles involved. — 9— Chapter II SECONDARY EQUITATION THE MANAGEMENT OF THE HORSE CONDUIT DU CHEVAL The principles and methods of control necessary for the trooper in ranks are set forth in the Drill Regulations and constitute elementary equitation. That which follows is ad- dressed entirely to officers and noncommissioned officers (cadre) and constitutes "secondary equitation." The object of the study of the management of the horse is to teach the rider the use of the means at hand to control the horse at all gaits, in all directions, and over any terrain. To manage the horse is : To put him in movement. To regulate that movement. To direct that movement. For this it is necessary : To know the means that nature, art, and science have put at the disposition of the rider (study of the aids) ; To harmonize these means (mastery of the aids) ; To employ these means (use of the aids). STUDY OF THE AIDS A complete understanding of the aids, requires inquiry into the physical aptitudes and moral qualities of the man, the study of the so-called natural aids, and a knowledge of the artificial aids. Aptitudes. Whatever may be the value of the instructor or of his methods, the rider's weight and conformation, his fixity or insecurity of seat, his strength or the lack of it, his supple- ness or stiffness, his energy or indolence, his intelligence, esprit, and patience — or, on the other hand, his apprehension, nervousness, or brutality — are factors which have great in- fluence on results obtained in equitation. One should consider —10— these things carefully in assigning riders to horses, especially to young horses. Natural Aids. The natural aids are the legs, reins, and weight. The legs and reins serve to put the rider in agreement v/ith his mount ; they permit him to judge of the character and temperament of the horse, to transmit to him and impose upon him his will. The movements of the horse vary according to the positions taken by the different parts of his body and the amount of impulsion employed. In order to make the horse execute any movement whatever one must first give him a position which permits, facilitates, or determines that movement, and then produce, maintain, increase, or moderate the impulsion. Rapidity of movement depends on the degree of impulsion. The aids are the means by which one gives the horse position and impulsion. Action of the legs. The legs should be fixed — that is to say, in light elastic contact with the sides of the horse. They should be free from all involuntary motion and very definite in their movements. The stirrup is adjusted accordingly. The op- posite to fixity of leg is the fault of swinging which confuses the horse. The legs may act, resist, or yield. They act when their pressure increases to determine a movement ; they 7'esist when their pressure remains constant and is opposed to a displace- ment of the hindquarters; they yield when their pressure diminishes and allows that displacement. In the first two cases they are active, though in different degrees; in the last case they are passive. (a) When the two legs act simultaneously, the effect should be, if at the halt, to move the horse forward, if in march, to increase the impulsion. Their action should be produced a little in rear of the girth, smoothly so that the horse will not be surprised, but energetically and by free attacks with the calves of the legs if he hesitates to move forward. —11— (b) When one leg alone, the right for example, acts in rear of the girth, it should have the result, while provoking the for- ward movement, of pushing the hindquarters to the left. The horse faces to the right if halted ; turns to the right, while in- creasing the gait, if in march. This action should be produced by drawing the leg a little to the rear, not too much, and closing it in progressively so that the horse will not be surprised. If he hesitates to obey, the leg should act by little taps of the calf, and should cease to act as soon as he obeys. ^ The spur serves in proper cases, to reenforce the action of the leg, and to render the horse's obedience more prompt. It is to the leg what the curb chain is to the hand. It must be used with discretion, and in proportion to the results desired and to the degree of sensibility of the horse. A distinction is made between the energetic attacks which must be employed to push the horse forward, or to punish him when necessary, and the scratch of the spur (pincer de I'eperon) which is one of the niceties of the aids. Action of the reins. The reins, through the bits, act upon the horse's mouth. For eifects to be exact, they must remain adjusted and stretched during work; if they are flapping, the indications of the hand will probably not reach the horse, or if they do, they will arrive confused, or in the form of brutal and awkward jerks. Contact is that gentle liaison which should exist between the hand of the rider and the mouth of the horse; with certain horses, especially young ones, contact is rather an equal and liberal support (soutien) ; out-of-doors at the fast gaits, and principally in the charge, contact may be transformed to a more or less marked support (appui). The hands, like the legs, may act, resist, or yield. The reins being adjusted, the hands, act when they increase the tension on the reins; they resist when they offer a deter- 1 One leg alone, the right for example, acting on the girth, when the left leg opposes the deviation of the haunches, may serve to bend the horse to the right and to lead to the engagement of the right hind under the mass. This action of the leg should be perfectly timed and belongs in the realm of superior equitation. —12- mined constant resistance to the mouth ; they yield when they follow the movements of the head and neck. It is very important to know when they should properly act, resist, or yield. The actions of the hand should be progressive. The resisting hand has a very powerful effect without ir- ritating the horse as a live force would do. Its effect is produced by reason of its duration ; it should yield when the horse yields. A hand which acts on the equilibrium or impulsion is called an active hand ; a passive hand is one which, while preserving the contact, opposes neither the impulsion nor the displace- ments of weight. The diversity and multiplicity of sensations and resistances, transmitted by the reins from the horse's mouth to the rider's hand demonstrates how great may be the variety of actions of the hand. Among these numerous rein actions, it is necessary to de- termine those whose simple and definite effects are sufficient to obtain all of the movements which are useful in military equitation. (a) The reins regulate impulsion. The two reins, acting together should have the effect of slowing, stopping or of back- ing the horse. They are called direct reiyis. This action should be produced by fixing the hands and closing the fingers on the adjusted reins, the elbows and hands should move as little as possible to the rear. The half halt is a brief energetic action of the hands which the rider executes, with the fingers closed on the adjusted reins, by twisting the hand quickly, from below upward and from front to rear, without losing contact with the mouth. It is used to slow up horses that are too ambitious or to carry to the rear the excess of weight that some badly balanced horses allow to come on the shoulders. It is effected according to need, on one rein, on two together,, on the snaffle, or on the curb. —13— The action of the hand should be regulated according to the resistance which it encounters. Vibration is a light playing or shaking of one rein, some- times of two at once. It is executed, like the half halt, on the snaffle or on the curb ; it may last for one or several seconds, and is strong or weak according to the resistance met. Vibration is used to destroy the muscular contractions of the jaw which the horse opposes, instinctively or voluntarily, to the action of the bit. (b) The hands control, also, the position of the forehand. The reins act through the mouth on the head, neck, and shoulders ; they permit the displacement of the head with re- spect to the neck; the neck with respect to the shoulders, the shoulders with respect to the haunches. They may even act indirectly on the haunches by giving the shoulders such a position that the haunches are obliged to change direction; which is called "opposing the shoulders to the haunches."- These different effects depend on the direction of tension on the rein, according to whether the hand is carried more or less forward or to the rear, to the right or left, high or low. One may group the several actions of the hand into five principal series but it is merely a purely theoretical division which facilitates in instruction the study of the aids ; between the extreme actions, forward and to the right, rear and right, rear and left, and forward and left, there are an infinite number of directions or tractions, from which the rider will be enabled to obtain the proper effect as he gains in knowledge, experience, and tact.^ - The term "opposition" as used in connection with rein actions implies an effect of opposing the shoulders to the haunches, which, as is stated in paragraph (b) above, is produced by "giving- the shoulders such a posi- tion that the haunches are obliged to change direction." This position and result are produced by rein action which changes the direction of the shoulders (forehand) at the same time that it retards them, implying an increased tension on the rein. ^ These principal actions are those which were taught at the School of Versailles. They were transmitted to the Cavalry School by Comte ■d'Aure and made generally known by Gen. J. de Benoist. -14— 1. (a) In carrying the right hand to the right, the rider displaces the horse's head towards the right; the right rein is then the opening rein. The rider should avoid pulling on the rein from front to rear, or opening the elbow away from the body. (b) If the rider accentuates the movement of the right hand toward the right, the neck follows the head, the shoulders follow the neck, and the horse faces to the right while advancing. 2. In giving the right opening rein a tension from front to rear, the rider draws the shoulders of his horse to the rear and right and forces him to throw his haunches to the left. The right rein then takes the name direct rein of opposition. This action should be produced by lowering the hand, the fingers being closed on the adjusted rein. 3. (a) In carrying the right hand forward and to the left so that the rein bears against the neck, the rider draws the horse's muzzle to the right, forces the neck at the shoulders to the left, and weights the left shoulder by loading it with the greater part of the weight of the neck. The right rein is then called the indirect rein, or hearing rein (elementary equita- tion). (b) If the rider accentuates the movement of the right hand toward the left, the increase of weight which results should break the equilibrium and turn the horse toward the left. This turn is made while advancing. In giving to the bearing rein (right) a tension from front to rear, two effects may be produced according to the direction in which the rein acts, in front of or in rear of the withers. 4. If produced in front of the withers — that is, toward the left shoulder — the shoulders are drawn to the rear and left, the horse, if he was standing still, faces to the left in backing ; if in march, he turns to the left w^hile slowing up. 5. If the action of the rein passes in rear of the withers — that is, in the direction of the left haunch — the rein acts on —15— the whole mass of the horse and pushes both forehand and haunches to the left. If the horse is in march, this diagonal action of the right rein, while bending him to the right, pushes him obliquely forward and to the left, provided that the impulsion is suffic- iently great to overcome the rearward effect of the rein. The I'esultant forward movement will be in direct proportion to the impulsion. These two actions (fourth and fifth effects) of the bearing rein, each tending to oppose the shoulders to the haunches, are called bearing (indirect) reins of oppositio)i.^ Accord of the Aids. The "accord of the aids" is that co- operation which should exist between the rider's legs, hands, and weight, which will permit, facilitate, or hasten proper execution of the movements desired. 1. Accord of the legs acting together and the two reins acting together: The legs give impulsion. The reins regulate the impulsion. The action of both legs together has the effect of producing, maintaining, or accelerating the forward movement. Tension on both reins together has the effect of limiting the forward movement ; that is, of slowing, stopping, or backing. These two actions, (simultaneous action of both legs and both hands,) then, are totally opposed and should never be ijroduced at the same time, under pain of destroying the impulsion. When the legs act to increase speed the hands should yield t') allow the increase; then they resist if necessary, to limit it. Likewise, when the reins act to slow the gait, the legs ijield, then resist if necessary, to limit the decrease. Summing up, in slowing, stopping or backing, the legs over- see the movement in order to regulate it if necessary, but they 1 The terms "direct" and "indirect" as used in connection with rein actions apply to the directions in which the rein acts. The "direct rein" acts parallel to the axis of the horse. The "indirect rein" acts diagonally, towards the axis of the horse. a o (1) The forehead is led to the side on which equilibrium is broken by the excess of weight on right shoulder. (2) Bend- ing of neck too feeble to break equi- librium. ( 1 ) Tho shoulders fall to the right and the haunches go t" the left. (2) The shoulders fall to the right; spinal column can not remain bent. (1) The body and croup follow shoul- ders which go to side whose balance is broken. (2) Bend- ing and weighing are loo weak to provoke movement. (1) Shoulders go to left, haunches to right. (2) For the same reason. (1) The rein passing by the center of gravity di*aws the whole mass to the left. (2) Same reason. 0) (1) The horse turns to the right. (2) The horse reinains still. (1) The horse turns sharply t(i the I'ight. (2) He turns in place to the right. No effects 1(1) The horse turns to left. (2) The horse reiiiiiins f^till. 1 1 Thrown to 1(1) Horse tho right byi turns to left, opposition toj(2) He turns the shoulder. Heft in place. Pushed to 1(1) Horse tho left. ' 'two - tracks' ' to left. (2) He takes several steps in "two- 1 tracks" to left a o o , a) CO No effects Thrown to the left. The shoulders Right shoul- der lightly weighted. Right shoul- der heavily charged. Left shoulder slightly weighted. Left shoul- der heavily charged. Left shoul- der vci-y heavily charged. a Bend to the right. Curved in and to the right. Is bent slightly to tho right. Curved in, and to the right. Curved in and to the I'ight. C3 i .a a) IB 73 ^ S a Slightly Slightly to the to the right. right. To the ITo the right right then to then to the rear, the rear. 1 1 1 Slightly IThe poll to the leans to right. the left. 1 1 To the 1 q'o the right, 1 right, then to Ithen to the rear. Ithe rear. 1 . . do . . 1 . . do . . Position of the hand More or less forward and low to yield the left rein as much as desired to al- low and reg- ulate the ac- tion of right rein. do ... do ... do ... ^ a ■?'» .a " 9 " .2 ? ^ 2 o5 To the right and forward. To the right and low. To the left and forward. To the left and rear but in front of the shoulders To the left and rear, but in rear of the shoulders ;^ I. Opening rein. II. Direct rein of opposition CO a IB l-H >• t-i IV. Bearing rein of oppo- sition in front of the with- ers. V. Bearing rein of oppo- sition in rear of withers. —16- First Eri^ecT T\ I (J n t d I r£ c1* r e I fj \ Wide Torr) H L/eaer)d barjd active OH lecj acfive L lea fo assive 'L iL-C|ec1'or) pVjoulciers vS'O —17— i\ I CI 1)1" direci" rein i ») obbosiTioQ 1 \ I o i'u r o S b o rV —18- Tb'.rd EjfeeT l\ral3T ipdired" ran wide Tcirj7 1 OL —19— FourtV, Ljfect l\»CjhT }r)d\rcct reio of o]o\iosiftor) (in -f-rooT o-f wiTy^(?f".sj To tu —20- "Fifth Lffect —21— act only when the horse has obeyed and in case the impulsion dies down. When moving forward, taking the trot, or increasing the gait, the reins should be ready to resist at the proper moment in order to regulate the gait, but they come into play only after the horse has commenced to yield to the action of the legs. On straight lines, therefore, the actions of the hands and the legs should never he simidtaneous. It is evident that the more obedient and highly trained the horse, the more these actions may approach one another with- out confusion. The "greener" the horse, the more distinct the indications given him should be and the greater the necessity for separate actions of those aids whose effects might be contradictory. 2. Accord of the two reins. When seeking to regulate or reenforce the action of one rein by that of the other, care must be taken that they do not contradict each other; if the right hand acts, the left must allow the right to produce its full eifect. Consequently, the left hand not only should not act, nor even resist ; it should yield. If it acts simultaneously with the right hand, if it even resists, far from strengthening the action, it can only oppose, weaken, or even destroy it. Conversely, the yielding of the left hand, when the right acts, allows the action of the right hand to have its full effect. So, whenever the right rein acts, whether as opening rein, bearing rein, or rein of opposition, the left hand should at first yield to permit the head and neck to take the indicated position, then resist, if necessary, to limit the movement. It then plays the role of the regulating rein. An action of the left hand may properly succeed an action of the right hand ; for instance, an action of a bearing rein may be substituted for an action of an opening rein, but these actions are successive and the principle of the active rein and the passive rein is always observed. —22— In riding with one hand, the bearing rein acts alone, the other rein hangs loose at the moment of the action. If the two reins are not in accord, they at least do not contradict each other. 3. Accord of the two legs. When the right leg acts alone, the left leg should, at first, yield to allow the action of the right leg to produce its effect, then resist, if necessary to regu- late the movement by limiting the displacement of the croup. 4. Accord of the legs with each of the effects of the reins. Pressure of the legs has the effect of moving the horse forward, of producing movement which the reins direct; likewise, tension on the reins produces effects on the haunches which the legs should coordinate. There exists then a constant relation between the actions of the hands and the legs. These actions, instead of being opposed to one another, should be combined, strengthened, and made to agree. (a) The right opening rein leads the weight of the neck onto the right shoulder without opposing the haunches which should follow the direction taken by the shoulders. The legs laerely maintain impulsion by an equal pressure. (b) The right direct rein of opposition bends the neck to the right, carries the weight of the neck onto the right shoulder, opposes the shoulders to the haunches, and throws the haunches to the left. The right leg aids in displacing the haunches. (c) The right bearing rein causes the head to swing to the left and puts the weight of the neck onto the left shoulder without opposing the haunches. The two legs act equally to maintain the impulsion. (d) The right bearing (indirect) rein of opposition (in front of the withers) forces the base of the neck to the left, bends the neck to the right, carries its weight onto the left shoulder and throws the haunches to the right by opposing the shoulders to them. The left leg acts to aid in pushing the haunches to the right. —23— (e) The right bearing (indirect) rein of opposition (in rear of the withers) while bending the neck to the right, has the effect of forcing the base of the neck to the left, of carrying the weight of the head and neck onto the left shoulder, of weighting the left haunch, and of forcing the whole mass for- ward and to the left, when there is sufficient impulsion to maintain forward movement. The right leg in pushing the haunches toward the left strengthens the effect and accelerates the movement. It must be understood that in prescribing the action of one leg the other is not supposed to remain inactive; on the con- trary, it plays its part in the impulsion and as a regulating aid as was said above in speaking of the accord of the legs. Lateral and diagonal aids. Lateral and diago^ml effects. In instruction, to shorten explanations, the aids are considered either from the viewpoint of the various combinations which may result from the association of the two hands and the two legs; or, from the viewpoint of the direction of their action, that is to say, of the effects produced. When the determining aids are placed on the same side of the horse, right leg and right rein, they are called lateral aids. When they are, on the contrary, one on the right, the other on the left of the horse, for example, left leg, right hand, they are called diagonal aids. Considering rein actions alone, with respect to the direction of their actions and the effects produced : when the direction of the hand action is on the same side of the horse as the hand acting, (in other words, is parallel to or away from the horse) a lateral effect is produced, example — opening rein, direct rein, direct rein of opposition ; when the direction of the hand action is towards the horse, a diagonal effect is produced. Diagonal effect includes all actions of the hand in the di- rection of the horse; the right hand for example, acting diagonally from front to rear and right to left (actions of the bearing (indirect) reins of opposition). Following these definitions, if in the two track toward the —24— right, the rider uses his left leg and left rein, he employs Icteral aids ; but the left hand acting diagonally from the front to rear and from left to right produces a diagonal effect. If in the same movement, the rider uses the left leg and right rein, he employs diagonal aids; but the right rein in leading the head produces, in the direction of march, a lateral effect. These remarks will show how much more apparent than real are the distinctions established by some authors between lateral equitation and diagonal equitation. True equitation is nothing more than the combination of the different lateral effects or diagonal effects of which we have just been speaking. The rider has two hands and two legs v/hich may act singly or together, laterally or diagonally, and thus produce very varied effects. It is "up to the rider" to use, according to the horse he is riding and the purpose in view, the aid or the aids which should produce the desired effect. The weight. In studying the actions of the reins it has been seen that under their influence the balance of the horse can be modified even so as to lead him to turn to the right or left accordingly as the weight of the neck is carried on one shoulder or the other. As the shoulders are unequally weighted the forehand moves towards the side to which the excess of weight draws it. The equal or unequal distribution of the horse's mass upon ihe supporting members evidently has a direct influence on the direction of movement taken by the whole machine. When the horse carries a rider, the mass which the mem- bers support does not consist of the horse's weight alone ; to that must be added the weight of the rider — between 165 and 190 pounds, on the average. The body, which alone amounts to about 100 pounds, may by shifting its position, contribute powerfully to the variations in the balance of the horse pro- voked by the aids. The rider, then, must be warned not to hinder the movements of the horse by a bad disposition of his weight, but, on the contrary, to favor them by using his weight always in the desired direction. —25— When moving, stopping, turning, or on two tracks, the rider, by carrying his weight on the buttocks or thighs in the direc- tion of movement, may facilitate and hasten the obedience of the horse. While quite clearly marked in the breaking and training of a young horse, these displacements of the weight become more and more limited as training is perfected. In superior equitation, they are reduced to a mere weighting of the stirrups. Artificial aids. The artificial aids are the means of domina- tion created by the industry and ingenuity of man to prolong, strengthen, or take the place of his natural aids. They vary with the nature of the horse and the use made of him. Those which have a current use are, first, the riding whip, much used at the beginning of training to teach a young horse to yield the haunches to the action of the leg, and in ordinary riding with mares and sensitive horses who kick at the boot; t?ien the longeing whip, link straps, martingales, nosebands, Barnuni reins, rigid reins, pulley or running reins, etc. In- cluded also are the various kinds of spurs, as well as the innumerable types of curbs, gag snaffles, rearing bits, etc. These different means may be useful to quickly prepare a horse for service, to rapidly reassert lost authority and to dominate certain difficult horses in order that their training may progress. But it must not be forgotten that most of these instruments, excellent in certain hands, become danger- ous with less experienced riders. Besides, the results, even though rapidly obtained by these means, are generally only superficial. They can not really take the place of the true education of the horse, which depends ias much upon his moral submission as upon his physical obed- ience to the natural aids. II MASTERY OF THE AIDS However precise theoretically the effects of the legs and reins may be, they can have practical utility only if the aids which produce them are perfectly disciplined and submis- —26— sive to the will of the rider. It is not sufficient to know these aids, it is also necessary to be master of them. If the horse does not submit to the requirements of the rider, in the majority of cases it is not due to the ignorance or bad will of the horse ; but it is because the weak, incoher- ent application- of the aids do not require the desired movement. Coordination and independence of the aids are obtained by controlling the I'eflexes. If young riders are ordered to act with the left leg alone, the right leg nearly always flies out an equal amount. Thi$ one example gives an idea of the great amount of work neces- sary to control the muscles so as to enable the rider to employ them for a definite useful purpose according to the rider's will.i Without dwelling upon the causes of what is commonly called "awkwardness" (maladresse), it is seen that the role of the instructor includes the bringing about and multiplying the occasions which the young rider has for using the proper aids correctly, first employing them singly, then in combina- tions. (a) The pupil holding the reins separated in the two hands is directed to utilize in simple movements, such as the passage 1 "One must be particularly careful," says d'Auvergnc, "to act witb only the parts necessary to accomplish the result, for correct execution is prevented by the involuntary action of certain of the rider's parts which may occur without his knowledge. For example the body should not be displaced when one uses the legs or hands ; again the knees should not be displaced when one uses the legs." "It is very essential also not to dravv^ the right leg close if one wished or.ly to use the left, and similarly not to make use of the left when only the right is required, for the horse will not know what is asked of him. It is necessary to teach each man who mounts a horse the effects that are produced by each leg singly and when used in accord together. It is no less important to know the effect produced by each rein of the snaffle and curb, for often one employs the left when one should employ the right> and the right when one should employ the left, and often both when one should employ only one." —27— of corners, moving by the flank, and circles ; first, the opening rein effects, then, the bearing rein effects and, finally, the effects of opposition, abandoning completely the rein which does not determine the movement. Example : "By the right opening rein, by the right flank ;" 'By the right bearing rein, circle to the left;" "By the left direct rein of opposition, half turn to the left." (b) He is then taught, by composite movements, to sub- stitute the effect of the opening rein for the effects of opposi- tion, or the indirect effects for the opening effects, etc. Example : The section marching to the left hand, the instructor will command : "Half turn in reverse, leave the track by the bearing rein." "Right bearing (indirect) rein of opposition, on two tracks on the diagonal." "By the right opening rein, right about." Or again, the section marching to the right hand: "Half turn, by the right opening rein, right about." "By the left bearing (indirect) rein of opposition, on two tracks on the diagonal," then, immediately, "By the right bearing rein, by the left flank, etc." i The pupil will have been shown in the first example that the right rein has been able to produce three effects according to the different directions given it ; in the second, he will have learned to substitute rapidly the action of the left hand for that of the right and back to the former. (c) When this practice of one hand alone is well under- stood and executed, it is necessary to learn, by the same move- ments, and with the same progression, to act with both reins, but having them in accord, the hands acting, resisting or yielding according to circumstances. —28— (d) In the end the movements must be rapid and compli- cated, such as the broken line, serpentine, pursuit, to give the pupil decision and agility. Concurrent with these increasing difficulties the instructor should make sure that the riders use properly the prescribed actions of hands and legs and that they realize the effects produced. He indicates to them the positions desired for the head and neck, the dangers to avoid, and by constant criticism- corrects every fault committed. The student will thus come to discern the muscles which should act in the execution of the different prescribed move- ments, to isolate them, to put them into action, and to increase the power and rapidity of their actions. By experience, then, he will have only to acquire the habit of true and timely action to be in full possession of his powers as a rider and to be able to overcome all difficulties. Ill USE OF THE AIDS When the rider knows the means of control and is master of them, he has only to apply them with tact. It is solely the application of the means of control which decides and regulates the movement, and directs it towards the accomplishment of a desired purpose. Practice in the use of the aids gives birth to the feel of the horse (le sentiment du cheval) and equestrian tact. The feel of the ho7'se enables the rider to judge the degree of submission or of resistance of his mount. Equestrian tact regulates the degree of force used by the rider. It leads him to determine the effect to produce, the intensity of that effect, and the exact moment to produce it. It enables him to conquer resistance, or at least to forestall them. The agents of equestrian tact are the legs and the hands. Tact of the Legs. The legs can act only in one direc- tion. In their use, then, there is only a question of intensity; —29— which the aid of the spur renders more powerful. Neverthe- less, without entering into a study of the mechanism of the gaits, which is not in the domain of secondary equitation, the rider, by his seat can have a certain feeling of the movements which constitute the raising, suspensio7i, and planting of the feet ; he can profit by this to hasten or retard their play, inter- rupt their combinations, and hence to correct or modify the gaits. Tact of the Hand. The study of the action of the reins has determined their theoretical effects, but these effects may produce very different results according to the qualities of the hand which provokes them. The qualities of a good hand are steadiness, lightness, soft- ness, firmness. To have a steady hand does not mean that the hand shall remain immovable ; it should, on the contrary, move up, down, to the right, and left, according to need, but in the execution of this, it should be free from all involuntary or useless movement. Steadiness of hand is the first quality to be sought, and is the most important of all for without it, the others cannot be fully developed. The unsteady hand can have neither light- ness, softness,nor firmness; its indications are uncertain and the most attentive horse can not obey its incoherent action. The light harid maintains the merest contact with the horse's mouth. The soft hand gives support (le soutien). The firm hand gives a frank, decided bearing (un appui). The hand should know how to resist authoritatively when necessary, but should yield as soon as the resistance of the mouth disappears, and should return to softness which is always the bond or union between lightness and firmness. It Is in this sense that a good hand has been defined as a "force in the fingers equal to the resistance of the horse, but never greater." (De Lancosme-Breves.) Actions of the hand vary in extent and intensity with the degree of training of the horse. Wide and well defined with —so- young horses, to clearly express the rider's intentions, they should be reduced, gradually almost to invisibility as training progresses. At the beginning, the forearm, wrist, and hand participate in the action of the rein aids. With a trained horse, however, it is only by a closing more or less energetic, or by an opening, more or less complete, of the fingers that the rider transmits his will. Effects of traction, pidling, sometimes even of force, are through education finally succeeded by effects of mere indication. To sum up, equestrian tact consists in choosing the correct determining and regulating aids, in assigning to each its proper action, resistance, or passivity, and then by means of the aids, causing the effect to fall upon the point selected, (keeping in mind the seats of resistance which are the mouth, shoulders and haunches) and as nearly as possible at the instant desired, so as to take advantage of the laws of balance and locomotion. The role of the instructor is here much restricted because, not riding the horse himself, many resistances escape his ob- servation. The pupil must, therefore, redouble his efforts to be honest with himself as to his faults. If he does not judge his own actions properly he will make no progress. It is practice, founded on sound principles that should be his real teacher. -^1- Chapter III SUPERIOR EQUITATION EDUCATION OF THE OFFICER Superior equitation is only the normal development and exact application, in the use of the horse, of the principles which serve as a basis for the instruction of troopers and non- commissioned officers. It is the specialized teaching of The Cavalry School and is addressed always to a select personnel. Its object is to develop the spirit of eneterprise in officers and to make them competent instructors, well versed in the various requirements of their role. From the theoretical point of view, this instruction includes a knowledge of the teachings of the most famous schools of equitation, as well as the diverse methods of training enunci- ated by them. It also comprises a thorough study of all subjects of which a true horseman should have knowledge. In practice, besides the boldest riding, it involves a thorough study of the employment of the horse based upon logical principles, as well as the application of the known laws and m.ethods which have for their object the training of the horse. Superior equitation also teaches the man to preserve, in the midst of the greatest difficulties, a seat of perfect form and security, and an exactness and "finesse" in the application of the aids, together with an absolute understanding of their use ; and finally, the ease and correctness of position which prove the rider's self-control and his freedom from all self-conscious- ness. It seeks in the horse perfect calmness and obedience, constant impulsion in the forward movement, an absolutely straight position and lightness in all movements. Without including the teachings of the "high school" it nevertheless borrows certain of the airs pertaining to higher equitation, such as two tracks and the change of lead, the practice of which marks a further degree of submission of the —32— horse to the aids, while developing in the rider, to a higher degree, equestrian tact and the feeling of the horse. In imposing upon both horse and rider, precision of move- ment, perfection of position and gracefulness, superior equita- tion follows the traditions which are the fundamentals of the French School. The qualities which it develops are a powerful element of discipline because they increase the prestige of the officer and strengthen his authority by enabling him to prove his superiority in the daily work of his command. PART II EDUCATION OF THE HORSE Chapter I THE RIDING HORSE Qualities of the Riding Horse. The military mount should be able to carry considerable weight, march rapidly and over long distances, have endurance, hardiness, and handiness. These qualities are derived from natural balance, gaits, con- formation and quality. Natural balance allows the horse to remain always master of his strength, to be able to use it under the rider's weight, to pass easily from a slow to a fast gait and conversely, to have supplenss of action, or in other words, the natural character- istics which make him easy to ride from the beginning. Usage alone proves the value of a horse; experience, how- ever, allows the establishment of general rules which guide in determining the good points to seek in the colt and in estimat- ing his quality. If the horse's back slopes slightly upward towards the croup, his withers well shaped a little higher than the croup, and his chest well let down so as to hold the girth away from the elbows, the saddle will remain in place. The rider and pack, located between the two pans of the scale as it were, will not interfere with the horse's equilibrium nor bruise the shoulders. This conformation, together with a good direction of the hocks,. —33— makes the horse naturally manageable and facilitates his con- trol in combat. In daily work the strain is distributed properly over all the springs of the machine, so that no part is worn out prematurely. His gaits should allow him to cover the maximum distance with a minimum of effort. This requirement excludes high action in favor of the flowing extended strides which are the least fatiguing for horse and rider. The trot is the principal marching gait, the gallop is the gait of combat. More than ever the present necessities of war re- quire a prolonged and rapid gait. The military horse should be, above all else, a galloper. A relatively long ischium is a characteristic of the galloper. (Fig. I.) Activity is indispensable for a cross-country horse. It is characteristic with horses having a wide angle between the humerus and scapulum and with powerful hind quarters. A long, sloping shoulder blade, withers of good height and direction place the weight of the rider properly, thereby as- sisting the horse in maintaining his balance, but it is the length and verticality of the humerus rather than the direction of the shoulder which gives freedom of gaits and leads to agility by facilitating the placing of the forefeet. The power of the hindquarters, the source of propulsion for either forward or retrograde movements, enables the horse to -34— move his mass at will, and consequently renders him master of his equilibrium; it gives him free use of his hocks to engage or extend them, it permits him to regain lost balance, to take his entire weight on his haunches, or to lengthen his stride according to circumstances; in a word, he is made master of his direction and speed. ocuAauXuA.^ -^>VA,xwtt t* ^^A/ 'ovj;ol£. utvUtroia ■--tt^t^ lAXpit.YS Otcd^wJLo -"-/yvvvn-CvruX O/wcXc iircuC X*A-vej\L»l/. Finally, his confidence in his long sloping shoulders permits him to land lightly and without apparent effort after taking an obstacle, but it is the extension of his hindquarters which gives him the necessary power to clear it. The ilium, then, for the riding horse must be wide, (Fig. 3.) that is to say, the outer angle (at the point of the hip) well defined; the inner angle high and above the lumbar vertebrae. This conformation of the loin is characteristic of Irish horses and is commonly called "the bump of jumping," though why it should be an aid tj jumping is unknown. The Model. If we add to these qualifications a neck, prefer- ably long, but of greater importance — well "set on" (junction of cervical and dorsal vertebrae), and withers, the processes of which are prolonged far to the rear, we have the model of a horse which is the ideal sought. -35- m \ ^ f\\ oCvvV ot ^ Cv-AtOJ^A-lcwV. viVivxv- ^t>\wy y)\ iX) . v\-v Vvs* V M o\> \hich is made gradually smaller as the horse progresses. This work leads the horse himself to modify his balance and it gives the alternation of extension and engagement which is sought in all these gymnastics. To avoid at this time the unnecessary difficulty or departing with the false gallop one should always commence by a true turn. Then, during the false turn the inside rein, by calculated opposition, maintains the inside shoulder and haunch in rear so as to avoid the change of lead This opposition diminishes as the horse takes the false turn more willingly. Backing. Backing often may be a punishment for a horse if, in spite of halts and half halts, he seeks to force the hand or to bear heavily on the bit, but it is a means whereby the spinal column is made supple and it helps the horse to place —81— himself on his haunches. Backing represents a further degree in the gymnastics of alternately reducing and increasing the base of support. The suppling undergone by the young horse in the extension and collection of gaits will generally lead to his backing with- out difficulty. Sometimes, however, through pain or stubborn- ness he may refuse to back, he may brace himself with his haunches, contract the spinal column and resist the action of the reins. These bad habits if left alone would result in an habitual reluctance to back. The rider should overcome them by dis- placing the croup with the action of the leg, or by opposing alternately each of the shoulders to the corresponding haunch. He must profit by the displacement of the haunch to resume the action of the hands. In the execution of this movement the horse should be calm and straight. He should back slowly, at the same time be ready to move forward at the call of the legs. In the begin- ning it is best, especially with high spirited horses, to follow the movement of backing by again moving forward and then by rest with reins free. When these results have been obtained, the horse should then be made to pass more freely from the forward to the backward movement and vice versa, and thus be balanced between the two. In this exercise only a few steps should be taken in each direction. Suppling of the Spinal Column is obtained by the move- ments just enumerated, but chiefly, by work on a small circle executed at the gallop the speed of which is progressively in- creased. This is the best lateral suppling and it should be practiced frequently. When galloping horses on the circle the instructor avoids the fatigue of prolonged work on short turns by alternately diminishing the circle for several turns, then enlarging it. The tendency on the part of the horse to slow down as the circle is diminished, must be overcome. The short turn is easy at the —82— slow gallop ; it is the rapid gait at the short turn which is diffi- cult and which must be obtained. To Obtain Free Play of the Shoulders. The horse at liberty moves and balances himself with ease but the young horse generally becomes heavy on the hand when mounted. This change results partly from the addition of the rider's v/eight and partly because the horse can balance himself for movements which he himself wishes to execute but does not yet know how to balance himself for those which his rider demands. The gymnastics best qualified to give mobility to the should- ers and lightness to the forehand include : slowing ; halts ; half halts; backing; the broken line and serpentine with the turns being demanded by the reins alone thus making the forehand pivot about the haunches; half -turns progressively smaller until the half turn on the haunches is reached; two tracks ; and shoulder in. Broken lines at the gallop with continually shorter turns are of especial advantage. This is the best training to render the horse supple and mobile in the gallop, easy to guide and clever on varied ground. All these movements are demanded by the bearing rein which acts indirectly but effectively upon the shoulders. It should be understood that the various movements enum- erated above will not in themselves accomplish the desired results. The rider must keep his object constantly in mind and when resistance is met he must act with tact; that is, with more or less energy or gentleness according to the circum- stances. The various movements should be wide at the beginning in order not to discourage the horse, later they can be made pro- gressively smaller so that finally the complete submission to the aids — necessary in individual combat — will be obtained. The forward movement must be carefully preserved during all gymnastic work and it is always required after collected work in order to let the horse stretch himself and extend the gait before he is rested. This avoids the danger of losing impulsion. To Obtain Suppleness of the Jaw. Suppleness of the jaw is the guarantee of lightness; it indicates a general decon- traction. When the horse's mouth is normal the gymnastic exercises which supple and strengthen him lead naturally to this mobility of the jaw. It is, in a way, the proof of his will- ing obedience. But some horses in spite of a relative supple- ness of the rest of the body will retain an abnormal stiffness of the jaw. Since the origin of all defenses is pain, contraction of the horse's jaw may be provoked by a bit badly adapted to his conformation, or the mouth may be too sensitive for the bit, or again the sensibility may have been deadened until the effects of the bit are no longer felt. The first remedy consists in the proper selection and adjust- ment of the bit. The kind of bit, its position in the mouth, the dimensions of the branches ,the thickness of the canons, the freedom or liberty of the tongue, and the relative tightness of the curb chain, all afford the means whereby we may over- come many resistances. Nevertheless, under the action of a brutal or even merely awkward hand the best bitted horse may acquire positions or habits which permit him to avoid the constraint of the bit, and which are therefore true defenses. In such cases it is neces- sary to reeducate the mouth by means of appropriate suppl- ings, the object of which is to destroy the bad habits in order to replace them by good ones. A horse is said to yield to the action of the hand if when in gentle contact with it he half opens the mouth under the pres- sure of the fingers, moves for an instant his tongue and the bits and then immediately retakes contact. The yielding should be confined to the mouth without provoking the least movement of the head or neck. The first elements of this suppling may be taught dismount- ed at the halt or at the walk. However the impulsion is nil or very slight and therefore in secondary equitation it is —84— sometimes unwise to supple the mouth in this way. In order to obtain the best result the rider should work his horse at a free gait. By gentle contact of the hand he will induce the horse to take a confident bearing on the bit in whatever posi- tion is most familiar to the horse even though it is not the correct one. Then when this has been obtained the rider may have recourse to the "division of supports." The division of supports means the relaxing of one or sev- eral reins while the fingers are closed on the others. The normal symmetry of the bearing of the bits is thus broken. The rider uses successively the different combinations of the reins by actions more or less close together ; for example, give and take, play the snaffle from side to side, alternate the snaf- fle and curb. These different actions tend to defeat resistances by con- stantly changing the bearing point in the mouth and to reduce the contraction of the muscles by their intermittent effect. The half halt or vibrations may be executed on one or sev- eral of the reins of the combination in use, according to the kind of resistance offered by the horse, and they will lead sooner or later to the relaxation demanded. When by repetition the horse obeys without hesitation and when all ttie combinations of reins lead to this same submis- sion, the education of the mouth is finished. The advantages of the relaxation of the jaw are reflected in the poll and neck, the muscles of which are not slow to re- lax. At first the neck retakes its natural position. Then as a result of progressive gj^mnastics it arrives at the ramener (gather) , the position indispensable to easy control of the horse. When practicing the supplings of the jaw great care must be taken to preserve impulsion. One must not reward the horse by dropping down to a slower gait, but, on the con- trary, must yield and caress while extending the gait. This local gymnastic (jaw flexion) must be limited to necessity. Harmony of all the forces is the true object of training and must be kept always in mind. —85— Two Tracks and Shoulder-In. Two tracks executed by lateral aids is a movement that may be employed when riding the horse alone or in class. When the horse is marching to the right hand the movement on two tracks is obtained by the use of the left rein and leg which act by pushing the shoulders and haunches toward the right ; the horse is then bent away from the side toward which he moves. In this movement the shoulders and haunches follow two parallel paths ; when gaining ground to the right the members of the left lateral biped cross in front of those of the right lateral biped ; when gaining ground to the left the reverse is true. Two tracks is a useful training movement to enhance the horse's knowledge of the effects which a combination of aids may produce ; it constitutes in addition an excellent gymnastic exercise for the colt. This movement should be demanded for a short period only and on the diagonals or on inside track — i.e., away from the wall. When executed on the track, two tracks has the bad effect of teaching the horse to be guided by the wall and not by the aids. Also it frequently happens that the horse is not able to pass the outside leg in front of the inside through fear of striking the wall; but instead he passes it behind the inside leg, and this does not give the desired result. If the displacement of the forehand in relation of the hind quarters is slightly accentuated by more pronounced action of the hand and leg, the horse passes from the gymnastic of Udo tracks to that of shoulder-in. The horse is said to be on right "shoulder-in" (the right shoulder inside the arc of the circle inscribed by the spinal column) when he marches bent to the right ; he is said to be on the left shoulder-in when he marches bent to the left. In whatever direction one is moving the horse may be placed and worked alternately with the right shoulder-in and with the left shoulder-in. —86— The movement is executed at the commands "Right shoulder- in," "Straighten," "Left shoulder-in," "Straighten." For example, if the horse is to be placed in the position of right shoulder-in and is to be worked most favorably in that position, the shoulders are moved off the line of march by the action of the right rein (openiyig rein) strengthened by the leg on the same side. The horse is then in the first step of a turn. As soon as he is in this oblique and circular position the line of direction previously followed is again taken up, all the while keeping the horse bent and crossing his legs. The right rein now becomes a bearing rein of opposition and acts in the di- rection of the left haunch. It affects the horse's whole body bending and pushing it forward and to the left. The right leg, acting slightly in rear of the girth, likewise aids in holding the haunches toward the left. The left hand, after having yielded, limits the bend of the neck and strengthens the action of the right rein ; it also draws the forehand forward and to the left. The left leg acts on the girth to keep up the forward movement. This exercise gives the horse complete suppleness and great freedom in all parts of the body. It brings about : (1) Freedom of the shoulders, obedience to the hand, and consequent lightness in the forehand. (2) Suppleness of the haunches, obedience to the leg, and consequent engagement of the hind quarters. (3) Pliability of the spinal column giving harmony be- tween forehand and haunches. It leads to free play of the shoulders because when the horse works vigorously while thus bent, the right leg is obliged to describe a movement of rotation and to lift itself in order to pass in front of the left. It leads to agility of the haunches because the right haunch is, on the contrary, obliged to loiuer itself in order to allow the right hind to pass in front of the left hind. This results in the desired engagement of the hindquarters. It gives suppleness and pliability to the spinal column be- cause of the continuous play of the vertebrae in all directions. It puts the horse up to the bit because the leg acts in the same direction as the hand obliging him to accept the tension of the rein. It discipHnes the horse to the leg because the rein, acting in the same direction as the leg, obliges him to understand and ac- cept its action. Shoulder-in is, therefore, the synthesis of all of the gym- nastic movements that may be demanded of the horse, and it is certainly, as La Gueriniere says, "The first and last of the lessons that one may give to the horse." Its execution is easy and its results excellent and quick. One must avoid executing this movement on the track for the horse is then attracted by the track and he will seek con- stantly to reenter it and will only bend his neck instead of freeing his shoulders as is desired. Shoulder-in is first demanded on the circle. Gradually the horse is made to understand it by moving him off the circle for several steps at a time ; he is then rewarded, straightened and the lesson repeated. As soon as the horse understands what is asked of him and the movement is well executed at the walk. it is repeated at the trot. For good execution of the movement it is necessary that the hand which retains the inside shoulder should act rather steadily on a short rein and not operate by any traction from front to rear. The horse should be exercised frequently in this movement. The shoulders must be carefully alternated. Between each change he should be moved on the straight line for several steps. These supplings should be of short duration only. One should profit by the engagement of the hind legs to push the horse into a free, extended trot. The Extended Trot. The extended trot is a very regular trot of great extension, produced by the energetic action of the haunches and the hocks. It is obtained when impulsion has been accumulated in the hindquarters by the action of the legs and the rider eases the hand, contenting himself with giv- ing the head and neck only the support necessary to facilitate the extension of the gait. —88— At first it is demanded during a few strides only. As the horse becomes more vigorous, better disciplined, and better able to use his strength, this trot may be prolonged but it should not be sustained, at least in training, for more than a hundred yards. A free extended walk with loose rein should always follow the extended trot. This gait alternated with shoulder-in makes the horse bold and light. Obtaining Balance. In the extensions, collections and changes of gaits which have just been studied, there was al- ways an underlying obligation on the rider to avoid contradic- tion of the aids by inclosing the horse between active legs and hand. The rule must be observed that only by an exact balance of hand and leg action is his impulsion carefully preserved and his submission retained. But as training progresses to- v;ards perfection, these actions tend to approach each other Until finally they seem to merge into one another. The horse, thus balanced between hand and legs moves with high strides in a sort of equilibrium. This is nothing else than the "ras- sembler" while marching which has for its object the shorten- ing of the animal's base of support so that he then works on a short base. This accentuates his mobility while necessarily reducing his speed. When it is desired to return to an extended gait it is neces- sary to abandon the rassembler and to allow the impulsion to pass ; then the neck stretches out, the gait is extended, and the horse works again on a long base. The object of the changes of gait and the increase and de- crease of speed of which we have just spoken is to oblige the horse to work on a short or long base according to circum- stances and to accustom him to pass from the most collected work to the most extended as in outdoor equitation. In a \^ ord, it is to put the horse in balance. Remarks on the Gaits. From the mechanism of the walk, trot, and gallop, one may make some observations which are very useful in training. It is very necessary that the rider should know how to take —89— a certain gait, and to maintain or to change that gait. Now in the walk and trot, the lateral bipods move in parallel planes ; in the gallop, on the contrary, the horse tends to travel with one haunch slightly to the side. This suffices to show the rider that in the walk and trot the horse should be held ab- solutely straight, while in the gallop he should yield towards one haunch very slightly. With a young horse, therefore, whenever the rider wishes to take the gallop he should give him this natural position. On the other hand, when he wishes to pass from the gallop to the trot or walk he should straighten his horse. The rider should also be able to obtain when desired those gaits which allow the horse to cover the most ground with the least fatigue. For the horse to expend a minimum of energy the impulsion must all act in the direction of the movement. But the horse may travel too high, too low. or both too high- and too low at the same time. The horse travels high when suppled and trained, and cor-- rectly ridden, he assumes the rassembler in marching. Then the muscles of the high, flexed neck will, in their contraction, lift the forelegs, and at the same time the hind legs, engaged under the mass, will have a similar upward action. In this position, with flexed joints, his speed is limited since the ex- cessive elevation causes a reduction in extension. However, this position is most favorable to rapid changes of balance, and therefore of direction and gait. It finds frequent employment- in secondary equitation for, in both maneuvering and individ-^ ual combat, the horse should be able to work on a short base. The horse may travel high in front and low behind. When ridden by an inexperienced rider he may hold his head high from inclination or from force. As in the preceding case, the muscles of the neck, by their contraction, lift the forelegs, but the hind legs, placed far away from the front legs, can not en- gage. Their motion will be perky, the spinal column will have no play, and the horse will move with great expenditure of energy and with great difficulty in the loin and hind legs. Finallv, the horse travels low when he moves with his neck —90— extended so that its direction approaches the horizontal. The muscles of the neck in this position draw the forelegs forward and not upward. The hindquarters under the action of the rider's legs may easily engage under the mass because the position of the neck allows the spinal column to arch and then extend in the direction of the movement. This position will therefore favor speed, and all the horse's efforts will tend to produce forward movement with a minimum of fatigue and expenditure of energy. It is this position which the rider should seek to impose on the horse whenever he wishes to work on a long base. Some of the characteristics of the gaits were discussed under breaking, but considered from the view point of training they offer still further possibilities. A free walk, extended without exaggeration, constitutes a rest. It is therefore an excellent reward, at the disposal of the rider, to show the horse his satisfaction with a well-executed movement, and it should be used frequently. Furthermore, at this gait the seat is steady and the rider is in full control of his aids, therefore, he should use it when correcting faulty positions of the horse and when giving him the proper position preceding a new movement. The horse is more apt to obey in proportion to the clearness of the effects of the aids, and he is better balanced as the gait is reduced. Therefore, at the walk he is in the best possible position to receive his lessons, and each new movement or position should be taught at the walk before proceeding to the more rapid gaits. However, this gait is slow and there is little gymnastic effect on the horse's joints and muscles, especially in lateral movements. At the gallop an excellent exercise for the spinal column may be practiced by extending and collecting the gait on straight lines. Work on two tracks at the gallop has however no par- ticular useful effect since in this movement the horse moves b> a series of bounds parallel to himself and without crossing his legs so that he expends no great effort. The movement on two tracks at the trot is a suppling ex- 1 —91— ercise which becomes more effective as the impulsion increases and the gait is extended. But in order that the left members, for example, shall open widely toward the left and the right members shall pass in front of them, the horse must move with long strides and the speed must be maintained, otherwise there would be no deep work of the muscles and no unusual play of the joints; in other words, neither suppling nor impulsion. The Gallop Depart. The importance of the gallop requires that the rider be familiar with all details of this gait, for the manner in which the horse takes it, keeps it, modifies it, or leaves it has great influence on its value. Furthermore, this one more or less complicated movement brings out all the rider's skill and requires implicit obedience on the part of the horse. In obtaining it the rider may apply all the principles set forth in training and he may demonstrate in detail the role and value of the aids. To analyze completely the gallop de- parts is to sum up all training. The study of this one move- ment will show how all others are obtained. The horse at liberty takes the gallop in different ways ac- cording to the circumstances which provoke it; that is, by a sort of loss of balance in throwing his weight forward, or by engaging his hocks under the mass in balancing himself. Mounted, he acts in the same way when he takes the gallop voluntarily and not in response to action of the aids, as by a cluck of the tongue, crack of the whip, fear, etc. When the rider desires to obtain the gallop by use of the aids he must consider the effects which the hand and legs may produce. The partially trained horse can understand only a part of the effects of the aids. In order that the horse may understand that the sensation he receives calls for the gallop, he must first be placed in such a position that all confusion and hesitation are removed and only one movement is left to be executed — the one demanded. Position should always pre- cede action, regardless of whether the horse takes the gallop through loss of balance or while in perfect balance. The very mechanism of the gallop incidates the position —92— which the horse should be made to take. The gallop is char- acterized by one lateral pair of legs being more advanced than the other ; thus in the right gallop the two right legs are more advanced than the two left legs, and vice versa. ; (a) Young horses may be ignorant or imperfectly disci- plined to the aids but they must nevertheless be galloped for their development and to advance their conditioning. The horse should be started on some circular movement (circle, passing through a corner, movement by the flank) where the interior lateral biped, having less ground to cover than the exterior biped, may easily be advanced more than the latter. By pushing more or less vigourously with both legs, when the horse is thus placed, the gallop will be taken naturally, espec- ially if the rider carries his body forward and slightly to the right for the right gallop. The horse is, so to speak, surprised and thrown forward by the leg action. He more or less falls into the right gallop. Since the reins do not have to act on the horse's balance this method has the advantage of leaving his head free and of putting him in the gallop before he has realized it and, at the same time ( leaving him calm and preserving his impulsion. The rider has profited by the favorable position taken by the horse himself to obtain the gallop. By this method the horse is induced to gallop and is familiarized with the gait under the rider's weight ; by practice the departs become easier and the horse goes into the gallop willingly. This method represents the first step in the lesson of the gallop. : It is sufficient to give the colt the necessary work at the gallop. In fact, it is the only one which may be employed at this time since he is ignorant of even the elementary actions of the aids. (b) The gallop is not always taken up on curves; one should be able to take that gait without changing direction, ,that is, on straight lines. The work which leads to this result constitutes the second step of the gallop depart. The rider .must be able to place the horse at will in the position that calls —93— for the gallop depart. The horse must have undergone a cer- tain amount of training and should understand the elementary effects of the aids. To take the right gallop one must retard the left lateral or advance the right lateral. Now to obtain that result it is sufficient either to cramp the play of the left shoulder at the same time liberating the right, to push the left haunch slightly toward the right, or to bring the right haunch forward of the left. Any action of the rein or legs which will accomplish these results will be satisfactory although to different degrees. They will prepare the horse, according to the degree of his training, to take the desired lead. 1. To retard the left shoulder, resist with the left rein either by a light direct effect of opposition or by an indirect effect of opposition calculated according to the resistances met. 2. In joining to one of these actions of the rein that of the left leg one obtains a more or less marked displacement of the left haunch towards the right. This places it in rear of the right haunch in the position of the gallop right. 3. To obtain the gallop depart by advancing the right haunch, act with the right leg at the girth. This will engage the right hind leg under the mass (superior equitatioyi) . It must be understood that these several actions may be combined to obtain a more prompt and exact effect. After the position is once obtained it is only necessary to give the im- pulsion corresponding to the speed of the gallop by an equal pressure of the legs. Taking the right lead by the resistance of the left rein is a simple, natural method. It is the one which should be em- ployed in the first periods of training and, as a general rule, every time that there is difficulty in starting with the proper lead. Taking the right lead by the predominating action of the left leg has the advantage of traversing the horse. At the same time if the action of the right leg is too energetic he may depart false. —94— Taking the right lead by the predominating action of the right leg at the girth is certainly the most correct method since the horse takes the gait without traversing ; but the response to this action of the leg is a result of education rather than a natural effect. This quiet, smooth manner of taking the gallop can therefore be employed only at the end of training with calm, obedient and quite sensitive horses and by experienced riders of precision and tact. Distinction must be made between conditioning at the gallop during breaking and the gymnastics of the gallop during train- ir.g. In the latter case the rider should require a great many gallop departs on each lead in order to accustom the horse thoroughly to the action of the aids involved. The instructor must know what he can and should require, the only fixed rule being never to demand anything from the horse until he has become calm and never to stop after a badly executed movement. Only the determining aids have been spoken of ; they do not exclude the others. In regulating or strengthening the demand on the horse for a gallop depart the regulating aids contribute powerfully to the execution of the movement. The progression proceeds from the known to the unknown. To teach the departs, only such aids are employed as the horse can understand according to the degree of his training. The action of the horse at liberty is observed and made use of, especially in the first part of the instruction in gallop de- yjarts. Gradually this natural action is modified so that the straight is substituted for the traversed position and the exact, balanced, instantaneous depart for the uncertain and disordered. To pass from the gallop to the trot or from the gallop to the v/alk the horse is replaced in an absolutely straight position. The horse then modifies the combination of leg movement and falls back into the trot or walk. As soon as the gallop is broken one should act with a degree of firmness on the reins according to the gait desired and the promptness with which one wishes it taken. The legs must I —95- of course be relaxed but they remain in contact ready to main- tain the forward movement when the horse is installed in his new gait. Conditioning. Conditioning of troop horses is only distant- ly related to the training of race horses. The application of rules of hygiene and the consideration given to the processes 01 physical development are of course the same. Progression in the work is also derived from the same principles. Con- ditioning the troop horse does not require his preparation for trials of speed on certain days. Rather by the rational de- velopment of all his organs and physique generally must he develop and retain throughout his service, that endurance, hardiness and agility on varied ground which are indispensable to the cavalry mount. Therefore one cannot fix absolute rules for the conditioning of the young horse. His condition, appetite, the preservation of his legs, and his general appearance are the only regulations and guides, for training is an art and it evinces all the qualities that distinguish the true horseman. The conditioning of the 6-year-old horse is coincident with his suppling. Logical conditioning requires daily sessions lasting between one and one-half hours as a minimum and three hours as a maximum. All instructions given in breaking which concern the general condition of the horse, i.e., the im- portance of proper feeding, development of muscles and lungs and the care of the legs and feet, should now be observed even more carefully, for the work is more intensive at 6 than at 5 years. The objective of the instructor is to bring all the young horses into condition so that in the month of August they can execute a march of approximately 20 miles in four hours. The training at the gallop is likewise regulated so that at this time of the year the horses may execute a maneuver gallop of 3,000 to 4,000 yards over good ground. Scrupulous regularity of gaits is the basis of conditioning. The instructor assures the success of this work by employing —98— :. reasonable schedule of periods at the trot and gallop com- hined with periods at the walk and at rest. This work should continue throughout the whole year. Each week requires a slightly greater effort and a consequent de- velopment of the body. It is sometimes advisable to break the long ascent to condition by rest periods so that the horse may take hold of himself, renew his strength, energy and spirit, and prepare himself to respond to the new demands that will be made upon him. At times it is worth while to cut down or oven stop the work and substitute mere walks in hand, espec- ially in the case of horses of delicate temperament or of those that have weak legs. A horse in good working condition presents a general ap- pearance of health with wide-awake eye, brilliant coat, supple skin and muscles standing out ; his flank is well let down and his gaits are easy, calm and indicative of strength. Jumping. The Horse Mounted. Skill over varied ground and boldness over obstacles also should be the objectives in a well considered plan of training. Work on the longe over obstacles in the riding hall or out of doors is too important an aid in training to be neglected. Horses must frequently be given this work. Practical out-of-door riding enables us to foresee the diffi- culties that are apt to be encountered in jumping. They may be grouped into a small number of defenses which must be fully understood in order that they may be promptly corrected. It is a fact proven by experience that a horse usually limits his resistances to one or two defenses that he almost always sets up. When he refuses to jump the rider and the instruc- tor should at once consider the cause and character of the defense. If the horse has shown sufficient strength on the longe and if his jumping lessons thereon have been well conducted, the only explanation of his refusal to jump mounted lies in his rebellion against the aids or in a lack of tact on the rider's part. In the first case it is wise not to insist, but to perfect his training before continuing to jump. If it is through lack —97— of skill or tact of the rider it is usually sufficient to indicate to him the faulty use of the aids so that he may employ them correctly and obtain prompt obedience. The various defenses in jumping generally fall into one of the following groups : The horse stops short (refuses). The horse runs out at a distance from the obstacle. The horse runs out close to the obstacle. (a) If the horse stops short it is through lack of impulsion or fear of the rider's hand. When there is lack of impulsion one must leave the obstacle and again give the lesson of the legs or that of the spur if necessary. Then when the horse is felt to be anxious to go forward, bring him back to the obstacle calmly and very straight, pushing him only in the last strides. Dismount and pet him as soon as he has obeyed. If the horse refuses through fear of the hand the bitting should be modified if necessary. The bar must be lowered or small obstacles must be chosen over which the rider may pass at the walk or slow trot. The reins should be long, thus giving the neck full freedom of action and if necessary the rider may steady himself by holding the pommel. He should continue to jump in this manner until the horse regains confidence and stretches out his head and neck. (b) The horse that runs out at a distance from the obstacle throws himself brutally on the rider's hand; he places his head and neck in a position that enables him to avoid the au- thority of the bit, and escapes in any direction he can. In this case, the rider must analyze the difficulty. He must stop his horse, calm him, replace the head and neck normally, and bring him back, holding him closely until the last moment between his active legs and taut reins. The horse that runs out close to the obstacle may do so in one of two ways: either by escaping to the side with one shoulder in advance or by swerving off at an oblique with the haunches moving toward the flank in advance of the shoulders. In the first case the shoulder in advance must be restrained. —98— This may be done by an action of the opening rein if the horse shows a mere tentative desire to swerve, or by an energetic intervention of the bearing rein if he roughly forces his shoulders out of the straight line. He must be pushed vig- orously at the same time with both legs. In the second case, if he escapes by the haunches leading to the left for example, the haunches may be held in the proper direction by the use of lateral aids to place the horse in the left "shoulder-in" (left indirect rein of opposition, left leg). It is true that the horse's head is drawn in the direction in which he wished to escape. But under the action of the left rein and leg the whole mass — and it is that which counts — is thrown toward the right. He is straightened at the last mo- ment and the impulsion provoked by aids for the shoulder-in sends the horse boldly to the jump. All the defenses which have just been analyzed are preceded at some point or other by a sudden abandonment, on the part of the horse, of the rider's hand. He profits by this moment ot liberty to assume the position that enables him to resist. In approaching the obstacle the rider should control carefully the source of impulsion, that is, the hindquarters, with his seat and legs, and keep his reins stretched in order not to lose contact with the mouth. This is called "riding close to the horse." —99— PART III APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF EQUITATION AND HORSE TRAINING TO THE USE OF THE HORSE Chapter I USE OF THE HORSE As a result of breaking the horse has become calm and energetic. His suppleness and physical strength have been developed and his resistance has been overcome by the spec- ial gymnastics of training. He recognizes the authority of the aids and is amenable to them. These acquired results must now be applied to the daily v^^ork. The rules set forth hereafter serve as a basis for perfecting the riding instruction of the troopers. The Horse Straight. The first use to make of his obedience to the aids is to place the horse straight. This is necessary because of the position he will occupy in ranks ; and, too, when the horse is straight it is considerably easier to impose the gait desired and to regulate the speed. The horse is straight when the left shoulder and left haunch are parallel to the right shoulder and right haunch. In equita- tion it is correct also to say that the horse is straight when following a curved line if his two pairs of laterals (shoulder and haunch) are placed so as to follow concentric curves. When the horse is straight the two hind feet follow exactly the line traced by the two fore feet; the haunches and should- ers are then in a position which assures the correctness of their reciprocal play. When the two haunches move equally the impulsion is equally divided and the transpositions of weight are regular and easy. The forces emanating from the two ends (fore and hindquarters) of the horse are not at variance in their combined play. Both work toward a common end — the direct march for which the horse is perfectly adjusted. If the horse does not move straight, all the harmonious agieement between the forces of the forehand and those of the hindquarters ceases, the correct distribution of weight is —100— disturbed and the ease of changing direction is impaired. Furthermore, the haunches oppose the shoulders and afford a point of support for resistance. It is most important therefore that before undertaking any- thing further, the horse should be placed and maintained straight. The actions of the reins and legs, studied previously, permit the horse to be straightened. By utilizing these aids and re- ferring to the table of effects produced, especially to those of opposition, the rider will find all necessary means to straighten the shoulders and put the haunches into line and to maintain the horse in his proper direction. But to obtain the result which a proper application of the aids should afford, the en- ergy of impulsion must be maintained. Easy gaits depend entirely on the activity of the haunches and on the horse's being held straight. To Change the Gait and in a Given Gait to Change Speed. The change from one gait to another involves two principles of training. 1st. When the legs close to move the horse forward the hand should not oppose the movement; 2nd. When the hand acts to moderate or cwtail the impul- sion the legs should not be active. Consequently, when passing from the halt to the walk, ex- tending the walk, passing from the walk to the trot, or extend- ing the trot, the rider should close his legs with more or less force according to the result sought and the sensitiveness of the horse. Simultaneously he should lower his hand and if necessary, open his fingers to permit the movement. The hands meanwhile should be ready to resist, and even to act, to regulate the gait should the effect produced by the legs be stronger than that desired. To extend the walk, the rider allows the horse great liberty permitting him to extend his neck but taking care not to lose contact with his mouth. In this position the horse is steadier on his legs, is better able to see his ground and is in a position favorable to movement without fatigue. — 101— To extend the trot, one must push the horse forward and keep him true by not allowing one shoulder to be more ad- vanced than the other. The rider may find it convenient to hold the reins separated in the two hands so as to obtain more easily the effects of opposition. The horse that pushes ahead at the trot and takes the gallop without its being asked, is always behind the bit. Under these circumstances it is necessary to rein him in, close the legs to engender impulsion, let the neck stretch out and induce him to take a bearing on the bit. On the other hand, to slow the gallop, the trot and the walk, or to pass from the gallop to the trot, from the trot to the walk, from the walk to the halt, or to back, the rider "fixes" the hands with the fingers closed on the adjusted reins, straightens up and carries the upper part of the body to the rear. Here also the legs should be ready to resist and to act if necessary to regulate the effect produced by the tension on the reins. However, such action is not required until the horse has com- menced to yield to the action of the reins. To Maintain a Given Gait and a Given Rate. With well balanced horses, those that move forward freely and remain submissive to the aids and respectful of the rider's hand, a soft tension on the reins is sufficient to maintain the gait and rate. To maintain lightness and to encourage the horse to relax the jaw and gently champ the bit, one must act by the play of the fingers or by the division of supports, meanwhile maintaining the impulsion. But it frequently happens that the horse will not maintain regular gaits ; he may be a puller or he may be sluggish and hold back. Pulling may be due to a number of causes such as nervous- ness, pain or lack of balance. In any case the resultant re- sistance is felt by the rider's hand in one of two ways. First, he may feel on his hand an inert mass, heavy to carry and difficult to displace. This is called iveight resistance. It may be combatted by the half halt which obliges the horse to raise his forehand. —102— Second, the reins may transmit to the rider's fingers the feeling of the forces resulting from the muscular contractions of the jaw. These are called resistances of force and are over- come by flexions or vibrations. Horses may take a gait slower than the one desired because of laziness, lack of strength, fear of the hand or ignorance of the positions favorable to the movement. Laziness should be overcome by attacking vigorously with the legs or with the spurs if necessary, to reestablish a proper respect for the legs. If it is through lack of strength then the horse's vigor should be improved by proper feeding and conditioning, so that, in time, he will maintain the gait desired under the action of the aids. When the horse is afraid of the bit he shows his fear by raising his head and refusing the hand. He thus crushes the hindquarters and instead of engaging the haunches he jigs without gaining ground. In this case it becomes necessary to modify the bitting, to give him confidence in the hand by light play of the fingers and to encourage the extensions of the neck which lead to relaxation of the loin and increased propulsion from the hindquarters. To sum up, a steady gait can be maintained with a trained horse by a light hand and by the play of the fingers and by never allowing the horse to pull. A horse that fights the bit requires either a light hand that constantly maintains the same passive tension on the reins or the use of vibrations. For the horse that is heavy on the forehand, the hand must be firm and half halts must be used. In both cases the legs should be steady but passive. Finally, with horses that are behind the bit one must seek the cause and act accordingly either by energetic action of the aids or by attention to physical development and conditioning. Change of Direction. A turn is the consequence of a new objective which the rider proposes to reach. The choice of a point of direction should, therefore, precede the turn. —103— In practice there are three ways of turning: The wide turn, the short turn and the turn in place. 1. The wide turn is executed while advancing and on the arc of a fairly large circle requiring room and time. Either the opening rein or bearing rein is used. The opening rein indicates to the horse the new direction and the rider's legs push him in this direction. This is the most elementary of the turns in advancing and it is the one best understood by young horses. It must therefore be used not only at the outset of breaking but afterward each time the horse resists by running out, swerving around, etc. To obtain the complete result in this turn, one should take care not to destroy the action of the determining rein by a premature action of the regulating rein. At the beginning of the movement the regulating rein must be freely ceded. The turn by the bearing rein and the two legs is also exe- cuted while advancing. The weight of the neck leads the horse in the new direction toward which both legs push him. This is the turn most employed in riding out of doors. It is also the only one which the rider can use when holding the reins in cne hand. As in the preceding turn, it is necessary, in order to allow the determining rein its full effect and power of action, to re- lax the regulating rein at the start so as not to interfere with the position taken by the horse's muzzle required by the bear- ing rein. When riding with the reins in one hand, however, the inside rein automatically relaxes. 2. The short turn, used when the rider desires to make a quick change of direction or lacks the necessary space for a wide one, may be accomplished either by lateral or diagonal effects. The lateral effect (right direct rein of opposition and right leg) draws the shoulders to the right and throws the haunches more or less quickly to the left. The horse faces to the right while slowing down. This turn is of common use in training. It provides a pri- mary gymnastic, short but energetic, to the spinal column, —104— shoulders and haunches. This movement also gives the horse his first lesson in the action of one leg alone and it causes him to accept the leg as an aid. The short turn by the diagonal effect (left indirect rein of opposition and right leg to turn to the right) is the most col- lected, the .shortest, and at the same time the most correct of the turns. The left rein pushes the shoulders to the right, the right leg pushes the haunches to the left ; the horse faces to the right without slowing, except as a result of the rearward effect of the rein in opposition. Thus, of the two wide turns, the first, using the opening rein, is the most elementary, and the second, with the bearing rein, the most used in out-door-riding. Of the two short turns the first, with lateral effect, is excellent for forcing obedience to the leg; and the second is the most rapid and correct. The various changes of direction which may be demanded are: The obliques (changes of hand) ; Broken lines; Movements by the flank; The about ; The circle, the half turn (the half turn and change of hand) ; The half turn in reverse (change of hand and half turn). These movements find their military application in individ- ual combats and in the pursuit where successive changes of objectives are demanded of the rider, often in rapid succession. 3. The turn in place is used when the rider is halted and v/ishes to change direction without gaining ground to the front. It is executed on the shoulders, on the haunches or on the center of gravity. The half turn on the shoulders (about on the forehand) is the final word of the half turn in reverse. When executed cor- rectly and rapidly it is proof of the horse's submission to the leg and of the mobility of his haunches. —105— The half turn on the haunches (about on the haunches) is the final word of the half turn. When executed correctly and rapidly, it is proof of the lightness of the forehand, the supple- ness of the shoulders, the strength of the loin and the obedience of the haunches. If these two movements are executed step by step, the horse will understand better the mechanism but there will be no gymnastic effect. In order that real benefit may be derived from them they must be executed briskly. The half turns on the shoulders and on the haunches are difficult to execute perfectly. But the half turn in place, where the horse pivots on his center of gravity while carrying his shoulders to the right and his haunches to the left for ex- ample, is easy of execution and commonly used. It is obtained by the action of the left indirect rein of opposition which car- ries the shoulders to the right and causes the haunches to swing toward the left, and by the action of the right leg which also carries the haunches to the left. In all changes of direction the action of the leg should pre- cede the action of the hand, otherwise the haunches will form a point of support for resistances and cause a labored turn. The leg, where it precedes the hand, assists the latter in main- taining the new direction. Galloping a Horse. The average quality of troop horses is such that great care must be observed in the use of rapid gaits, for their speed and endurance are naturally limited. Nevertheless, the training for the charge requires practice at Ihe extended gallop as well as at the intermediate speeds. The instructor carefully supervises the details of this work, chooses his day and ground, and gradually teaches men and horses to take and maintain a sustained gallop. In these exercises the rider should take care to push his horse up to the hand. The more confidence the horse takes in this bearing the better he will place himself to favor speed. Consequently, it is better at first to use a snaffle or double snaffle. The first gallops are made —106— easier by grouping the horses in twos or threes ac- cording to their dispositions. To gallop properly the rider must shove his feet home in the stirrups and must have the thighs against the saddle and the lower leg fixed against the horse's body. He should carry the upper part of the body slightly forward in order to relieve the horse's loin and to allow the haunches to act with more power, thus favoring speed. The seat is raised slightly in the saddle but it should be able to resume its normal position instantly when desired. This condition is fulfilled when the thighs, knees and calves remain in adherence to the saddle. The reins are separated as has been described in the school of the trooper. The rider is taught to gradually increase the speed up to the full run, then progressively to decrease the gait whilst main- taining contact with the mouth and keeping the horse straight. These exercises, including the increase and decrease of gait should not exceed 700 to 900 yards. One must be very careful to regulate the work according to the age, development and breeding of the horses. Galloping should be followed by work periods at the walk more or less prolonged in proportion to the speed and length of the previous gallop. The rider should take advantage of this work to learn to judge and regulate the speed of his horse, and to observe, con- sider and report all that goes on about him; in other words, he should acquire and maintain at all gaits the calm, unper- turbed observation and judgment indispensible to the cavalry soldier in war. Cross Country and Over Obstacles. Principles of equita- tion find their application in riding across country and in jumping. Boldness, secure seat, steadiness, suppleness, re- spect for the horse's mouth, and balance, all of which have been mentioned constantly in the education of man and horse, here play most important parts. Boldness in jumping is the first requisite of the out-of-doors rider; it is communicated instantly and unmistakably to the horse and becomes the best guaranty of his clearing the ob- —107— stacle. If the rider is not keen the horse perceives it and becomes apprehensive. The seat is the close, elastic contact of the buttocks and thighs with the horse. It assures a good hand and allows the rider use of his legs with which to control impulsion; and if the horse should make a serious mistake, the rider is enabled to avoid a fall by settling down deeply and securely into his saddle. The seat is independent of the position of the upper part of the body. The rider may carry his body slightly forward and still be well seated or he may carry it to the rear and not be well seated. Steadiness is defined in equitation as the absence of all in- voluntary or useless movement. It precludes any exaggerated position of the body, hands or legs, whether forward or to the rear. Suppleness results from secure seat, steadiness and elastic- ity of the loin. It is this quality which enables the rider to ap- pear to be part of his horse at all variations of the gaits, and it is called "going with the horse." The laws of balance and the mechanism of the gaits require the rider when working over obstacles not to overweight the parts at work. These are the hindquarters, at the moment of taking off ; and the forehand, which receives the weight at the moment of landing. The play of the neck is more pronounced as the gait is slower and the leap more violent. In order that the horse shall use all his strength and that his mouth may not suffer, the rider's liand must give freedom to the head in accordance with the energy of the extension. The more uneven the ground and the more varied and dif- ficult the obstacles, the more violent and unexpected are the reactions and the more difficult it becomes to apply these rules. The necessities of maneuver and drill render their application still more difficult, for the initiative and independence of the trooper is limited. —108— At whatever gait employed, the rider approaches the ob- stacle with steady legs, increasing their pressure if necessary to assure impulsion. He inclines the body slightly forward although the buttocks remain in the saddle. The hands are held low and they accompany the movements of the neck. If necessary the fingers are opened to allow the horse to make full use of his head and neck. Thus, given plenty of impulsion and being well enclosed be- tween steady legs and long, stretched reins, the horse is in the best possible situation for jumping. The position might be compared to that of a horse at liberty in a "chute," the aids take the place of the sides of the chute and the impulsion of the legs substitutes for the whip. In conclusion, the best rule for the rider in jumping is as follows: jump neither before the horse nor after the horse; jump ivith the horse. Individual Combat. The value of the trooper in individual combat is largely dependent upon the training of his horse. Combat exercises should therefore tend to make the horse confident and fearless. These exercises should be conducted carefully; they might well follow the outline given below: (1) Distribute a number of dummies about the riding hall in various positions (standing, kneeling, lying down), and make the horses pass beside and over them at the three gaits until they no longer take notice of them. By riding with two hands and with the reins separated, and by frequent caressing this result will be obtained quickly. (2) Have the troopers strike the dummies with the saber at all gaits and while jumping obstacles, both at will and by command. These exercises tend to make the horses indifferent to the blows delivered by the riders. It is inevitable in spite of all precautions that during the course of combat exercises the horses will receive some jerks or saber blows. If as a re- sult they manifest a dislike for the work they should be put back on these exercises until all trace of resistance has dis- appeared. It is well always to commence and to conclude the —109— work with several minute's exercise against the dummies. After the horses show entire indifference and freedom, the sections should pass each other, merely crossing the blades. They imitate a melee without saber blows. The melee is con- ducted at first in the whole riding hall, then in half, then in •\ quarter, and at the three gaits. (3) When the horses are confirmed in this work one should pass to the pursuit of mounted dummies, then to the pursuit of riders, and finally to the individual combat. The serious demands made on the horses by these exercises require that the periods be of very short duration and that they be broken by longer periods at a free gallop with long reins and by periods of rest and utter relaxation. A horse that shows hesitation should be stopped and put back on the dummy exercises as described above. Chapter II DEFENSES OF THE RIDING HORSE The restless nature of a horse may lead to a variety of vices that should be overcome as much for the animal's preserva- tion as for the safety of the rider. The solution of the dif- ficulties lies more in the rider's skill than in trying to lay down a set of rules applicable to the many cases that may arise. The following is therefore given as useful advice, worthy of consideration but not to be followed blindly : Ignorant Horses. When a horse disobeys through ignor- ance of what is asked of him and shows only a slight objection or a passive resistance, he is made to obey by again taking up his training at the point where he was at fault and by follow- ing thereafter the series of exercises prescribed to complete his education. Horses that Are Afraid. It is by gentleness and patience that the horse is given confidence. When the rider sees some- thing that might frighten his horse he should sit tight, leave his reins long, pet him, and quiet him by the voice. If the horse is continuously afraid of the same object, show it to —110— him often, dismount and lead him up to it rather than drive him with the spurs. If the horse seeks to turn around through fear hold him in the straight path by opposing the shoulders to the haunches. Horses With Bad Conformation. The horse with a poor conformation naturally suffers the consequences of weakness in the parts concerned and resists the execution of movements which throw special stress on these parts. The rider should avoid immoderate requirements that would result in provok- ing defenses in the horse or in still further damaging the weak parts. Stubborn Horses. To master a horse of difficult character the rider must prove that he is the stronger and he must never let an act of disobedience pass nor yield to a whim. It is rare that the horse can be induced to yield without force; on the other hand, every concession on his part should be immediately rewarded. With a horse that no longer obeys the simultaneous action of both legs it is necessary to go back to the leg lesson given with the longe and longing whip. The rigid reins might also be employed in this case. Horses that Rear. This defense begins with the horse's halting and getting behind the bit. The first thing to do there- fore is to prevent his getting behind the bit by vigorous work on straight lines to produce forward movement and throw weight on the forehand. If the horse resists the forward movement he must be turned in place to break up the forces that enable him to rear. In swinging his haunches to the side all parts of the horse are decontracted and he is prevented from throwing his weight on the haunches. The use of the rearing reins will help to combat this defense. Horses that Kick. When a horse has the habit of kicking, the snaffle must be used to prevent his lowering the head. At the same time he should be vigorously pushed with the legs. It is an error to hold his head high for it often happens that this defense is caused by pain in the loins and hocks and by —Ill- raising the head one would only increase the irritation and provoke the defense. The horse that kicks at the leg should be put back on the lesson of the single leg with the longe and riding whip. Every time that he tries this defense his rider should immediately reply with a vigorous blow from the spur. Horses that Fight the Hand. The causes that lead to this fault are numerous. They consist generaHy of supersen- sitiveness of the bars of the mouth, a badly chosen bit, or a too severe hand. The methods indicated in training, for the education of the horse's mouth, permit these to be remedied. Seek a suitable bit. and if necessary discard the curb chain. The standing martingale with a noseband may be used advantageously in this case; also work on the longe with the reins fastened to a surcingle. Horses that Lower the Head Against the Chest. The horse may do this through weakness, or lack of training as is often the case v/ith colts. He must be given confidence in the hand by forward movement and extension of the neck. If the position becomes a defense the snaffle reins must be used to raise the head, if necessary by a quick sharp action from be- low upward. When the horse has raised his head any slow- ing of the gait should be prevented by action of the legs. Re- quire but little improvement at the beginning and as soon as the horse has raised his head, even a very little, and yielded his jaw, ease the hand and pet him. This defense may also be combatted by the gag or lifting snaffle. Horses that Star Gaze. The star gazer has a high, nearly horizontal head and a stiff jaw. A bad conformation often predisposes him to this fault but the defective position general- ly results from the horse having been badly ridden so that he fears the hand. To correct this fault fix the hand on the pom- mel of the saddle, the reins remaining stretched, close the legs to push him up to the bit, and keep the fingers tightly closed until the horse lowers his head a little; then open the fingers —112— immediately and yield to him. Repeat this lesson until the horse yields to the least pressure of the fingers and until he understands fully that the hand is severe only when he carries his head up and that it relaxes as soon as he places his head properly. The rules laid down in training for the education of the horse are applicable. The use of the rearing rein, running martingale, and Colbert reins may assist in this case. Excitable Horses : Horses that Jig. Horses jig and fret for numerous reasons. Some have too short a walk; training should remedy this fault. Others lack impulsion and become sulky at the pressure of the legs; they must be taught the lesson of the spur and put back in the forward movement. Still others fret and move about from excessive nervousness and cannot bear the pressure of the rank ; they must be worked alone for a long time under a steady rider until they have be- come calm. Most frequently this fault occurs because the horse fears the hand and does not dare to take the support or bearing on the bit that favors a free, extended gait; in this case the rider whose hand is too hard must be changed for a more tactful one, and the horse then made to extend his neck frequently to give him confidence in the hand and to induce him to carry more of his weight on the forehand. When these first results have been accomplished one should extend him for long periods at a slow trot on serpentines, circles and figures of eight in order to accustom him little by little to the actions of the aids. Horses that Pull. To correct this fault place the horse in the walk and use half halts on one rein. When the horse yields let him straighten himself and take the original gait. Repeat this same lesson at first at the slow trot and then at the ordin- ary trot. The stiff'ness of a pulling horse is thus finally broken by forcing him to bend and to engage his hindquarters. The slow trot on circles, serpenties and broken-lines and the full halts and half halts constitute excellent gymnastics for the horse that is heavy in the forehand and heavy on the hand. Pulley reins might well be used on a horse of this sort. —113— Horses that Open the Jaw or Pass the Tongue Over the Bit. For the former, use a noseband or strap tightly buckled above or below the commissure of the lips. For the latter, in addition to the noseband use a bit with a tongue-loll of leather or rubber. The tongue may also be tied with a string. TABLE Showing the Successive Phases in the Education of the Young Horse This outline is made up for average horses : it sums up the methods which have been discussed above. It is not to be fol- lowed absolutely; the requirements may be varied in accord- ance with the means at hand, climatic influences, the kind and quality of the animals. But it indicates, nevertheless, the normal stages in the training of the troop horse. OBJECTS BREAKING (5 year olds) . TRAINING (6 year olds) . f Establishing confidence. ] Preliminary conditioning. 1 Elementary education in the aids. f Conditioning. ^ Suppling the young horse. [ Complete obedience to the aids. Breaking (4 Periods) 1st period: October 1 to December 31. 2nd period: January 1 to February 28. 3rd period: March 1 to August 14 (departure for maneuvers), 4th period: August 15 to September 30. 1ST PERIOD (October 1 to December 31, three months.) f Acclimatization. OBJECT i Gentling. [ Establishing confidence. —114— I. Acclimatization Horses placed under observation. — -Installed in the troop. — Care on ar- rival. — Hygiene. — Ventilation. — Rations and substitutions. — Endurance and hardiness. II. — Gentling Assignment of the same horses to the same riders. — Choice of riders. — Familiarizing the colt with the life of the garrison (noise, watering, shoeing shop, etc.). III. — Establishing Confidence Out of doors and riding hall. — Proportions in which they should be employed. Work not mounted. Leading by the side of old horses that are mounted. Work on the longe. Accustoming to the equipment, weight of rider, mounting lesson. Saber. Work mounted. Walks out of doors. Organization of sections. Nature of the work. Role of the walk in the strengthening of the joints. Ac- customing the horse to objects out doors. Influence of old horses as leaders. 2ND PERIOD (January 1 to February 28, two months.) f 1. Preliminary conditioning. OBJECT: Preliminary pre- | 2. Elementary education in the aids, paration for use in case of { 3. Preparing the young horse to take posible mobilization. his place in the ranks of the mobilized [ troop. I. — Prelim ina ry Condition ing Digestion. Gradually accustoming the colt to assimilate the Govern- ment ration (watching the droppings; ynashes; gruels; carrots). Muscling. Progressive alternation of gaits. Particular influence of each. Usefulness of varied ground. Organization of groups and re-division of work. Long slow work. First lessons in independence and freedom. Leading over small obstacles; the horse skillful and bold. Developing the lungs. The gallop; when and how to commence it. Considerations which govern this work. Race, blood, ground. Riding hall or straight lines. Progressively developing the colt's gallop to 1,500 to 2,000 yards in 5 to 6 minutes. Appearance of the horse under work. II. — Elementary Education in the Aids * * NOTE : The simultaneous action of both legs and both hands may be taken up out of doors with the conditioning. The action of the reins provoking changes of direction is taken up in the riding hall on days when bad weather prevents going out. —115— (a) (b) Simultaneous action of both legs (horse moving forward) action of I" Passing from walk to trot. both legs -j Passing from halt to walk. Passing from halt to trot. Extending the walk and trot. Passing from trot to walk. Passing from walk to halt. Passing from trot to halt. Showing the trot and walk. Simultaneous both reins (Principle of the always stretched) (c) (d) Combined action of both legs with one or the other rein. Changing hands. Broken line. Turns, Abouts, Half turn, Turn in reverse On circle. [Opening rein Action of the single rein . . -j [ Bearing rein Opening rein and both legs. ■ Bearing rein and both legs. Take gallop by breaking equilibrium. III. — Preparing the Young Horse to Take His Place in the Ranks of the Mobilized Troop Making him familiar with: arms and their handling, standing still and marching, the pack, the bridle, the trooper's equipment, firing. During work out of doors: some marches in column, in line, deploy- ment, movements by the flank, to the rear. 3RD PERIOD (March 1 to maneuvers, 5% months.) {Further conditioning. More marked obedience to aids. I, — Further Conditioning Increase the outdoor work according to the condition and temperament of the horse (1% to 2 hours). Continue the training at the gallop to attain at the end of the period 3,000 yards in 7 to 8 minutes. Lessons in developing self confidence out of doors. Confirming quiet- ness and self reliance. Obstacles. Lessons on the longe and at liberty; skill over varied ground; crossing small natural objects mounted, such as logs, ditches, banks, sides of the road, etc. Hygiene. Period of shedding (March-April). Observation of hygiene and feeding. Modification of work. Period of feeding grass. The horse should be rather fat. Increase the grain. Cut down work outside. Appearance of horse in condition. Eye skin, muscles, flank, legs. II. — More Marked Obedience to Aids Same riding-hall work as during the second period; in snaffle at first, in double bridle during the last month. —116— IN ADDITION: 1. Confirm the forward movement. First search for balance by in- creasing and decreasing the gaits on straight lines. 2. Mobilizing the haunches f Passing corners, (effects of one leg alone) \ Serpentines. I Half turns in reverse on the forehand, ( etc. 3. Mobilizing the shoulders f Passing corners. (action of the bedring i Serpentines. rein) , [ Half turns on the haunches. 4. Extending and redressing the neck. 5. Gallop departs on straight lines by lateral aids. 4TH PERIOD (August 15 to September 30, l^/^ months.) PiaiiOD OF Rest. Leading; large substitutions for grain rations. Mashes, purges. Fatten the horses. Training (4 Periods) 1st Period; October 1 to November 30. 2nd Period: December 1 to May 31. 3rd Period: June 1 to August 14 (maneuvers). 4th Period: August 15 to September 30. 1ST PERIOD (October 1 to November 30, 2 months.) f 1. Putting the horse back in work. ^2. - ■ ■ OBJECTS ^2. Bringing him again under the ef- [ feet of the aids. I. — Taking np Work New assignment of horses to officers, noncommissioned officers, and selected men. OUT OF DOORS. Man and horse become accustomed to each other. Taking up work gradually. Retarding influences. Lessons on the longe and mounting lessons by new riders. ., Jumping on the longe and at liberty. Fixed obstacles for the young horses. Horse quiet and bold when alone. II. — Obedience to the Aids RIDING HALL. Gradual repetition, at first in snaffle, then in double bridle, of work of the preceding year. Putting the horse in the forward movement. Increasing and decreasing gaits on straight lines, circles, and changes of direction. —117— 2ND PERIOD (December 1 to May 31, 6 months.) fl. Conditioning. OBJECTS •12. Suppling- and complete obedience to [ aids. I. — Condition ing OUT OP DOORS. Long periods of IV2 to 2 hours. Increase the requirements gradually while taking notice of period of shedding and green food (as in breaking). Attain 3,300 yards at gallop in 8 minutes, at end of period. Work on broken ground. Passing natural obstacles, horses mounted. Advance as far as possible the development of self reliance, quietness and boldness. Leave the column and go in opposite direction at the walk, trot or gallop, the troop being in march or halted. Mounting lesson out of doors. II. — Suppling and Complete Obedience to Aids RIDING HALL. Short sessions (three-fourths hour at most) with a definite object. Impulsion. The action of the spur. Double bridle. Choice of bits. Accustoming the horse to the bit. Pro- gression to follow. Various means of holding reins in training. Repetition with double bridle of work in snaffle. Study of reins of opposition. Mobility mid engagement of hind quarters. Increasing and decreasing gaits, starts, halts, backing, half turns in reverse, half turns on shoulders, serpentines, and circles with haunches inside and outside. False gallop. Suppleness and freedom of shoulders. Half turns. Half turns on the haunches. Serpentines and circles, the shoulders pivoting about the haunches (action of indii-ect reins), shoulder in. Mobility of the jaw: Suppling, position of the head and neck favorable to training. The gather. APPLICATION: Balance. Work on long and short bases. To change gait, and to change speed at a given gait. Halt, half halt, and backing. Gallop departs from the walk, trot, halt and backing with the horse remaining straight. —118— To maintain a given gait and in this gait a given speed. Regulation gaits; work over long distances. Change of direction: The turn. Obedience to aids in the rank, out of doors, in the riding enclosure. The horse bold, calm, straight, and light. Riding with one hand. 3RD PERIOD (June 1 to maneuvers). (2^/^ months) [ 1. Conditioning. ■12. - - ■ OBJECTS ■{2. Confirming obedience to aids. I 3. Application of acquired results to [ military work. I . — Conditioning Take up gradually the work which was cut down during the period of green food. Prepare the horses to maintain the gallop for 3,000 to 3,500 yards in 10 to 12 minutes. Execute several road marches (20 to 25 miles in four hours). Exercises on the track in preparation for charge. Ex- tended gallop of 500 to 600 yards. II. — Confirming Obedience to the Aids Same work as in the second period. Pass from work in the riding enclosure out of doors to work of section together in riding hall, cadenc- ing and balancing the horses. Half turn on haunches, on forehand, on center of gravity. Riding with one hand at all gaits and in all directions. Work at will. III. — Application of Acquired Results to Military Work The work in the riding enclosure leads to the school of the group (single rank, double rank, ranks open and closed). Work with Arms. Use of arms mounted. Work with dummies. Pre- paration for individual combat. Pursuit. Individual missions. Messengers, flankers, patrols. Quiet to noise and firing. SWIMMING. HARNESS. JUMPING IN TROOP. 4TH PERIOD (August 15 to September 30.) Rest. Same prescriptions as at end of breaking. Proving the Results Principal Poirits on Which hispections Should Bear (a) Breaking: General state of horses, conditions, legs: —119— Riding Hall Quiet, regular, swinging gaits. Obedience to aids in simple movements. Quiet to mount. Trial at the gallop (out of doors if the ground permits). Out of Doors Free, quiet gaits, individually and in troop. Passing small obstacles in hand and mounted. Handling arms. Quiet to firing, (b) Training: General state of horses, condition, legs. Riding Hall Quiet, regular, swinging gaits. Individual examination, proving obedience in aids in collected movements. Work of section together. Trial at the Gallop (In riding hall if terrain outside does not permit.) Out of Doors Individual work. The horse calm and straight in execution of all individual missions, (scout, flanker, courier). JUMPING. Work in troop. Use of arms. Proof of condition. (March averaging 15 to 20 miles). Approved Paris, January 9, 1912. Messimy, Secretary of War. Q M. C. Plant, Ft. Riley, Kan., 4-11-31 — 2000 \-y.y- ■;• II