CHAPTER IX
WHAT TRAINING WILL DO FOR A HORSE—THE FORMS OF COLLECTION
A great deal of the neglect in training horses properly is due to the fact that most people—by very far the greater number—are deterred by the imaginary difficulties presented by the rules and by the practice involved, and in consequence there is not one horse in a thousand that is even agreeable to ride.
The fact is, there is no more difficulty in acquiring a knowledge of the rules of training than of the first three numbers of the multiplication table; and the practice of them is far more pleasant and a great deal easier than the daily labor of buttoning one's boots.
Owing to the changes in the centre of gravity, due to the rider's weight and position, the normal, well-formed horse must be given an artificial carriage to enable it to bear the man in easy, light, and cadenced paces. Whether the rider is aware of the fact or not, this correction always takes place, usually through tentative and chance-directed efforts, before the animal becomes safe and pleasant to ride. Horses that are ill-formed or awkward may be so greatly improved in bearing and action, that their defects are nullified to such an extent that many apparently hopeless cases may be made very satisfactory riding animals. All horses are benefited in carriage, in disposition, and in form by a course of schooling.
What can be done to correct physical defects in a horse by a short term of schooling would appear incredible to one not initiated in the art. Weak parts may be strengthened, strong muscles may be developed from those that are deficient, poor action may be improved, and the general appearance and motions of any animal changed for the better by simple exercises, which at the same time establish absolute discipline.
These changes are procured from suppling the horse. By suppling is meant overcoming the resistances of the horse, whether they be active or passive, intentional or physical, so that all opposition and rigidity are removed, and the animal becomes obedient and pliant in every part.
If the reader will think of the forehand (controlled by the reins), and the hind quarters (controlled by his heels), as two parts to be brought to act together, so balanced that neither extremity is embarrassed, and the point of union and balance, the centre of gravity, is directly under the rider, he will see how the horse may be made to move lightly and easily.
Suppose the horse be low in the forehand and goes too much on the shoulders when in action,—a miserable condition of affairs. The defects suggest the remedies. The hind legs will be carried under the body to depress the croup, the forehand will be raised and its forces carried to the rear, until the weight and forces are brought to the desired point of union and balance.
Or, let us take the case of a horse high and strong in the forehand, but low and weak in the hind quarters. Here the hind legs should be brought up to that point where, without lowering the croup, they have the greatest impulsive power, and the forces of the forehand should be carried back only far enough to balance these inferior forces of the rear. Of course, in this case particular attention should be paid to strengthening the loins and hind quarters by the exercises hereafter to be explained.
Therefore, if the horse "goes upon its shoulders" and hangs upon the hand, the forces of the croup are too strong for the forehand, and the latter part should be elevated while the hind legs should be carried under the body of the horse to lessen their effect sufficiently to produce balance in the extremities. But if there be feeble and constrained action in the hind legs, the forehand is too high and strong, and the centre of gravity too far to the rear, and this state must be remedied.
The power to effect the conditions described will be obtained by subduing all resistances; the jaw of the horse, and all those parts in front of the rider, will be made pliant and obedient to the reins; the hind quarters will be dominated by the rider's heels.
In the preceding chapter the condition of collection known as "in hand," the lowest form in which smooth, even, safe, and regular paces may be made, was described for the walk and the trot. Unless some closer form of collection is employed for one or another reason, the ordinary gallop of three beats or "hand gallop" should always be performed "in hand"; that is, there should be such a collection of the forces that the pace is even, steady, and cadenced, no undue weight upon the shoulders, the crest curved, the face of the horse about perpendicular to the ground, the jaw supple, and as a matter of course the horse always under complete control. The trainer should ever bear in mind that whenever there is any disorder or misconduct the earlier lesson should be reverted to, until the horse is absolutely obedient under all conditions. When the horse has been habituated to maintain the state of collection known as "in hand," in the walk, trot, and gallop, it should be taught the closer forms of union.
From time to time the rider should, while in a slow but nimble trot, bring the horse to closer forms of collection, the heels maintaining the impulses, the hand with vibratory plays upon the reins, keeping the forehand light and lithe. As the forces are more nearly brought to a point of union and balance under the rider, the speed will decrease, and when these forces of the extremities are absolutely united and balanced for a moment, the half-halt will be produced, when the horse is prepared for a movement in any direction. But this half-halt may be held for only a moment, while the muscles are in play, and at least one leg is flexed, or the horse will become heavy, the feet will come to the ground, and a complete halt will ensue, when the tension upon the reins should be eased and the heels be withdrawn from the sides of the horse. When the forces of the extremities of the trotting-horse are as closely united as is compatible with a forward movement, any increased impulses will be turned into height of action under the body, and the animal will seem to grow under the rider, as with curved crest, in which the quivering muscles prove the pliancy of the mass, the horse goes from one pair of diagonally disposed legs to the other in a slow, measured, brilliant trot—the most beautiful effect possible to obtain.
These closer forms of collection may be produced in a very slow gallop in exactly the same manner as in the slow trot; and the gallop in this case becomes one of four beats as each leg follows the other in regular intervals. The half-halt may, and should in practice, be made from the slow gallop by a very close collection, the union and balance of the forces, and the gallop be renewed in some form immediately, before the horse becomes heavy and the full halt ensues. The half-halt in the gallop has a variety of important uses, such as a preliminary step for making the gallop change, for making the gallop wheels, etc.
FIG. 71.—THE SCRATCH OF THE SPUR
FIG. 72.—HALT WITH THE SPURS
CHAPTER X
THE SPUR
Baucher says, somewhere, that to give an indifferent horseman the spur is as bad as to give a razor into the hands of a monkey. There is not one rider in ten thousand who knows how to give the sharp rowel, or is aware of its true uses. Improperly and too frequently applied, the spur makes the horse sluggish and never answers its real and full significance. The rider's leg and heel, or the sharp rowel when necessary—a rare occasion—gives the horseman control over the impulses which produce action, and over all the movements of the hind quarters. The sharp rowel, indeed any form of the leg aid, should never be given with a kick or a thrust. The lower part of the rider's leg should be carried back until the scratch or prick can be given by the elevation of the heel. To enable the rider to do this with precision requires much practice in the use of the leg below the knee, so that even in violent movements he may be able to give just the effect the occasion requires. The lower leg of the rider demands the forward movement, demands the movement to the rear, and that to either side, and also the collections, including the half-halt and the finished halt These results cannot be produced properly by a thoughtless or an unskilful use of an aid, which should always be applied at the right moment, with the right touch, and in the right place.
For the comfort, not to speak of the safety, of its rider, every horse should be taught to bear the prick of the spur without violent outbursts; and this is more important for the poor horseman than for him who is skilful. The most nervous animal may be taught to bear the application of the rowel with complacency, and without such discipline it would be impossible to make the gallop changes, and many other movements directed by the spur, smoothly and uniformly. On some occasion when the horse is going quietly, it having previously been accustomed to the pressure of the rider's legs and to that of the sides of his heels, the rider should carry a leg close to the flank of the horse and give a scratch with the rowel just behind the girths, as he is making a turn or demanding a bend of the croup. The animal should be quieted by caresses after this attack, and then the spur should be applied to the other side in the same way, and the horse be made much of. In time both spurs should be used in bringing the horse to a halt The finished horseman can demand the most perfect repose from the most spirited horse by the use of this instrument. Used as directed, the animal will not only be steady when the scratch is given, but also quick and ready in obedience to the milder forms of the leg aid, the pressure of the leg or of the side of the heel, and it will be rarely the case that the more severe form will be necessary. In riding my trained horses the rowels are removed from the spurs; and I have had horses that were always free and lively in their actions and perfect in manège movements that had not felt the sharp spur for many years. Some horses will "shut up" and refuse to increase their speed when punished with the spur; and in all cases its severe attacks are as useless as they are cruel.
To produce the impulses for movements forward or to the rear, this aid should be applied immediately behind the girths. There is an old French saying that a torn girth shows good horsemanship. To bend the croup, as in the side movements upon two paths and in the gallop changes, the spur should take touch on the flank four or five inches behind the girths.
CHAPTER XI
SOME WORK ON FOOT—THE SUPPLING
It has been said that the term "suppling" indicates the vanquishing of all the resistance offered by the horse, whether voluntary or involuntary. The control which this gives over the actions of the animal is produced by cultivating its instinctive yieldings to the application of the bit and spur until obedience becomes a natural impulse and the animal does not dream of opposition. The lessons are given in such a manner that there are no struggles against restraint, no fears are caused, and there are no punishments to arouse animosity. Indeed, any rough treatment will defeat the object of the trainer, who requires nothing more than patience to insure his success.
FIG. 73.—DIRECT FLEXION OF THE JAW
FIG. 74.—THE RESULT
For example, when the bit comes against the horse's mouth, the first impulse is to avoid the pressure and to yield the jaw; the second impulse is to resist the confinement. By the cultivation of the first instinctive yielding of the jaws the trainer obtains absolute control over the mouth of the horse, and by successive exercises, properly arranged, over the whole of those parts in front of the saddle. In like manner, when the leg or heel of the rider is applied to the flank of the horse, its first impulse is to move forward the hind leg of the side attacked, and bend the croup over to the other side; the second impulse will be to come against the leg or heel in resistance. By cultivating the first impulse on the application of the spur the rider obtains control over all those parts of the horse behind the saddle. So, between hand and heels, the man may obtain perfect, because instinctive, obedience from the trained animal. Beyond keeping on friendly terms with the horse, and the avoidance of everything that would start its fears, no trust is to be placed in the animal's voluntary dutifulness, for what is desired may be demanded, and the good-will of a horse is a very slender reed upon which to lean. My horses know my footsteps, and show recognition of my voice, but I have never permitted their blandishments to lead me to trust one of them beyond control without finding cause for regrets sooner or later.
Much of the work in suppling the horse can be done far more quickly with the trainer on foot than from the saddle. Indeed, almost all the education of a riding-horse might be carried on without the trainer mounting at all, and that very expeditiously; the finishing lessons under the saddle would be required to transfer the indications of the whip to the rider's heels. The handling that would be given by the trainer on foot would prepare the horse for anything that might follow, and I have always found that the longer the horse was worked in hand, the better were the results. That is, if the horse be longed carefully; be driven before the trainer in a long pair of reins attached to a snaffle-bridle; be taught to yield the jaw, the head, and the neck to the bits; and be made to bend the croup and to bring the hind legs under the body at the application of the whip, there will be very little left to do when the man mounts.
I shall now describe the least amount of work that the trainer should perform on foot, as few men will have the patience to carry the system farther; but as the principles are always the same any one who desires to try the experiment may readily carry on the training in hand to its utmost limit.
FIG. 75.—BENDING HEAD AND NECK WITH CURB-BIT
FIG. 76.—BENDING HEAD AND NECK WITH CURB-BIT
When the young horse—or any horse, for that matter—is going well in the snaffle-bridle, the animal should be given daily lessons in the double bridle (curb and snaffle) in the following manner: the curb-chain being removed for the early lessons, the trainer should stand at the head of the horse on the right, or off, side, and take the right snaffle-rein in his right hand, while the left hand grasps the two curb-reins at equal lengths under the chin of the horse a few inches from the bit. Then, extending his right arm away from the nose of the horse and drawing the curb-reins toward the chest of the animal, he will, with just so much force as is necessary, induce the horse to open the mouth and relax the lower jaw, the head being held up by the snaffle-rein. As soon as this is accomplished the tensions upon the reins should be released and the horse rewarded by caresses. The snaffle must keep the head of the horse at the proper height, for the tendency of the curb is to depress the head, and the face of the horse should be kept about vertical to the ground, certainly not any nearer the chest. From time to time the trainer will release the tension upon the snaffle-rein and draw the curb-reins, as before, in gentle vibrations toward the neck of the horse to test the progress of his work. When the horse curls the upper lip, and the reins always find nothing more than a light, elastic feeling upon the lower jaw, the crest being curved and the face held perpendicularly to the ground, the man will know that the object of his work has been accomplished, and it remains for him to maintain this condition by constant practice until it becomes habitual. If at any time the jaw becomes rigid, or there is any resistance, a return should be made to the exercises with the two bits, as in the beginning. It is a rule observed by all trainers that when a horse does not perform perfectly that which is desired, to "go back to number one," the first lesson.
The same work should be done with the trainer standing on the left side of the horse, when his left hand will hold the left snaffle-rein, his right the curb-reins. These exercises, and those which follow, should be given at least once every day, twice or thrice will be better, and each exercise should be followed no longer than for five minutes, so that the horse may not be fatigued or annoyed by the monotony.
Standing at the head of the horse, on the right side, the trainer should take a rein of the curb-bit in each hand, near the branches, and turning the bit in the mouth of the horse, right branch forward, bend the animal's head toward the left; at first making a slight turn only, and by steps increasing the bend until the face of the horse looks to the rear. As soon as the head of the horse is bent sufficiently to satisfy the trainer, he should take equal tensions upon the bit, straighten it in the mouth of the horse, and by gentle vibrations induce the horse to yield the lower jaw so that the reins shall find no more than an elastic feeling upon that part as the face is turned to the rear. The horse must never be allowed to bring its head straight after this bend has been demanded, but the trainer should quietly bring it back into the normal position by means of the reins. In a similar manner the head of the horse should be bent to the right, the trainer standing at the head of the horse on the left side. After the horse has been habituated to bend the head by means of the curb-bit to the right and to the left, its face perpendicular to the ground and its jaw pliant, it will be made to do the same by the snaffle, the reins of that bit held as were those of the curb-bit.
FIG. 77.—CARRYING HIND LEGS UNDER THE BODY
FIG. 78.—CROUP ABOUT FOREHAND, TO THE RIGHT
These lessons, in addition to those recommended in Chapter II., will give the man complete control over the forehand of the horse, making the mouth light and compliant, and developing and suppling the muscles of the neck greatly to the improvement of the horse in grace and in appearance.
Two very simple exercises will give control of the hind quarters, when the completion of the education of the horse will be a mere matter of repetition and riding, as the discipline necessary for demanding instant and exact obedience will have been put in train.
To make the horse carry its hind legs under the body, the man should stand on its left side facing the saddle; then, taking the snaffle-reins held under the chin of the horse at equal lengths in his left hand, he should give some light taps of a slender whip upon the animal's croup, preventing a forward movement by a tension upon the snaffle-reins. At first the trainer should be satisfied when the horse brings its hind feet forward a few inches, but in time the animal should by gradual steps be induced to carry its hind legs so far under the mass that the four feet might stand upon a handkerchief. To transfer the indications of the whip to the heels, the rider should mount, and, as he taps the horse on the rump with the whip held behind his back, he should apply his heels to the animal's sides until the hind legs are carried forward sufficiently to satisfy his demands, while a forward movement is prohibited by a tension upon the snaffle-reins held in the left hand. Gradually the employment of the whip should cease and the horse be made to carry the hind legs under the mass to any extent by the pressure of the rider's heels. After the horse has carried its hind legs under the mass, the man should release the tension upon the reins, and by permitting the forehand to advance, let the animal take a natural position.
FIG. 79.—CROUP ABOUT FOREHAND, TO THE RIGHT
FIG. 80.—IN HAND IN PLACE
To make the horse carry the croup around the forehand, the trainer should stand at the left side of the horse, facing the saddle, with his left hand he should take a grasp of the snaffle-reins under the chin of the horse and bend the head slightly away from him, and with the whip he should give a light tap or taps on the side of the horse just behind the girth. When the horse makes one step with the croup away from the man, the forehand held in place by the snaffle-reins, the whip taps should cease, and the horse be rewarded by caresses. Another step from the croup will then be demanded, and step by step the croup will be carried to the right completely about the stationary forehand, the left fore leg acting as the pivot, the right fore leg being brought forward to conform to the movement by light taps of the whip, the head of the horse bent toward the advancing croup. The horse must not be permitted to volunteer a step, but every step should be made on the demand of the trainer.
In the same manner the horse should be made to carry the croup to the left about the right fore leg as the pivot, the trainer holding the snaffle-reins in the right hand, the whip in the left, and standing on the right side of the horse.
It will be well for the rider to mount the horse in place, at this stage, and to conduct the suppling and bending exercises just described, from the saddle. That is, from the saddle he should bend the head of the horse to either hand, first with the curb-bit and then with the snaffle-bit, bringing the head back to the normal position by means of the reins; he should elevate the head, and then by dropping the hand and playing with the reins bring the face of the horse vertical to the ground, with the jaw pliant in answer to either bit; he should induce the horse to carry the croup about the forehand to either side at the application of his heel, enforced, if necessary, by the whip held behind the rider's back, the outer fore leg acting as pivot; and, finally and frequently between the pressure of his legs and gentle vibrations of the reins, he should unite and balance the forces of the horse so that by the working of the muscles under him, as the horse arranges the bearers, he may know that the animal is ready to move in hand.
CHAPTER XII
THE CURB-AND-SNAFFLE BRIDLE—GUIDING BY THE REIN AGAINST THE NECK—CROUP ABOUT FOREHAND—UPON TWO PATHS
If but one bit is used in riding, it should be the snaffle, for it has a much wider range of effects than the curb-bit, and the latter, when employed alone, tends to lower the head of the horse, and has other defects. It is better, however, to have both bits, as together they answer every requirement. With the snaffle the rider may raise or depress the forehand, freshen and relieve the mouth of the horse occasionally from the restraint of the curb-bit, and counteract the defective action of the latter, prepare the horse for obedience to the indications of the more severe mouthpiece, and give many other results which will show themselves in practice. The curb-bit gives more power to restrain the horse, applies the pressure of the mouthpiece upon the proper place, which the snaffle does not always do, and by it the rider may more readily keep the nose of the horse down so that the face of the animal shall be vertical and thereby insure the right power upon the right place.
With trained horses I seldom draw the curb-reins, for the animals are so drilled and so sensitive that the snaffle is nearly always sufficient but the curb-bit is ever ready to enforce its peculiar powers should there be failure on the part of the snaffle, as, for example, where the horse throws forward its nose so that the snaffle takes a bearing in the corners of the mouth and so loses much of its power.
Ordinarily the curb-bit is used in riding, while the snaffle-reins lie slack, to be brought into play when necessary; and most horses, and most riders, require the curb-bit.
FIG. 81.—LEFT REIN AGAINST NECK, TO TURN TO THE RIGHT
FIG. 82.—RIGHT REIN AGAINST NECK, TO TURN TO THE LEFT
The man, having mounted, will take in his left hand the reins of the curb-bit divided by the little finger, the reins of the snaffle divided by the long finger, the loose ends of both pairs of reins carried through his hand and held by the thumb against the forefinger, and draw the curb-reins until he can feel the mouth of the horse. The right hand will be kept on the loose ends of the reins behind the left, but when it is called upon to assist the bridle-hand it will act upon the reins in front of the left hand, except in shortening the reins, when it will draw them through the bridle-hand from behind. Then, closing his legs against the animal's sides, the rider should make gentle vibrations of the curb-reins by a play of his fingers until the pliant jaw and the working of the muscles under him show that the horse is ready to move in hand. In this form of collection he should go forward in the walk. To turn to the right he should bend the head of the horse with the right snaffle-rein caught in his right hand, and carry the left hand in which are the curb-reins over to the right until the outer rein comes against the neck of the horse. When the turn is begun, he should drop the snaffle-rein, and when the new direction is entered upon, he should bring the bridle-hand in front of him, so that there shall be equal tensions upon both curb-reins, and resume a direct path. In the same manner the turn to the left side should be inaugurated by the left snaffle-rein, and the bridle-hand will be carried over to the left until the right curb-rein is brought against the right side of the neck of the horse. This use of the curb-reins is called the indirect indications of the bit. On straight lines the bridle-hand should be held just above the pommel of the saddle, the thumb uppermost and pointing toward the horse's ears. No great movement of the bridle-hand should be made in demanding the turn; when carried over to the right, the thumb should point toward the rider's right shoulder; when carried over to the left, the thumb should point toward the ground over the left shoulder of the horse. By observing these directions the rein may be brought against the neck of the horse to give the indirect indications of the bit without too great movement of the bridle-hand. Gradually the employment of the direct snaffle-rein to inaugurate the turn will be dispensed with, and the change of direction will be made by the curb-reins only as they are brought against the neck of the horse.
In the walk and in the slow trot the horse should be ridden in hand on straight paths and in circles of varying diameters to accustom the horse to that form of collection in the curb-bit; and from time to time closer forms of collection should be demanded, first in the walk and then in the trot, until the half-halt may be produced and the advance be again made before the horse grows heavy. Whatever the form of collection, the jaw of the horse must be kept pliant and the forces of the two extremities be kept balanced. If the horse hangs upon the reins, its hind legs must be brought under the mass to lighten the forehand, and every movement should be light, even, and regular.
It is poor policy to put the horse into the gallop before its education has been brought to the point described in the preceding pages. It is highly important that the horse should be taught a perfectly controlled gallop, one in which every form of collection may be observed and in which the rider may demand the lead with either side and the changes of lead with precision.
FIG. 83.—REVERSED PIROUETTE, TO THE LEFT
FIG. 84.—ON TWO PATHS, TRAVERSE RIGHT
The croup about the forehand, or reversed pirouette, prepares the horse for the movements on two paths, for wheels in the gallop, for the pirouette volte, and for the gallop changes, all of which are requisite in a thoroughly trained saddle-horse, when the rider aspires to have mastery over every movement of the animal.
To make the horse perform the reversed pirouette, the rider should bring it in hand in place. Then, bending its head slightly to one side, say the right, he should apply his left leg to the flank and make the horse carry the croup to the right, about the left fore leg as a pivot, the bridle-hand keeping the forehand in place, the heel of the rider demanding each step, the right leg of the rider controlling the effects of his left leg. In croup about forehand to the left, the head of the horse should be bent slightly to the left, the right fore leg of the horse acts as pivot, while the rider's right leg induces the hind quarters to be carried to the left around the turning-point.
In the work upon two paths the body of the horse should be placed diagonally across the line of progress, the forehand slightly in advance of the croup, the head of the horse bent in the direction of the movement. In going to the right, the head of the horse will be bent to the right and the forehand be led along one path, while the rider's heels carry the croup along a parallel path, the effects of the acting or left heel being measured and controlled by the rider's right heel, the forehand about two feet in advance of the croup. In passing upon two paths to the left, the head of the horse will be bent to the left, the forehand being led to the left, and the rider's right leg, its effects measured by the left, will carry the croup upon a parallel path, so that the body of the horse shall be diagonally disposed across the line of progress.
In coming to a turn or on a circle, the croup will be slightly retarded, so that the diagonal position shall be observed everywhere on the arc or the circumference, if the forehand be following the longer outer path. But if in turns or circles the croup be following the outer longer path, the forehand will be retarded so that everywhere on the arc or the circumference the diagonal position of the mass shall be observed.
The horse should be ridden on two paths in straight lines, in turns, and in large and small circles, sometimes the forehand on the outer circumferences, sometimes the croup following the longer paths, in the walk, in the slow trot, and in the united trot.
FIG. 85.—GALLOP RIGHT, HORSE IN AIR
FIG. 86.—GALLOP, HIND LEGS COMMITTED TO A STRIDE
FIG. 87.—GALLOP RIGHT, WHEN THE CHANGE BEGINS
CHAPTER XIII
THE GALLOP, AND THE GALLOP CHANGE—WHEEL IN THE GALLOP—PIROUETTE TURN—HALT IN THE GALLOP
Until the publication of "The Horse in Motion," many of the movements of the horse were but little understood, and of these the gallop was prominent by reason of its importance. In these days, thanks to the quick eye of the camera, there is no action which the horse is capable of making that may not be clearly shown in every phase.
There are several forms of the gallop, but the general principles are the same in all, the variations depending upon the speed and the state of collection of the horse.
In the hand-gallop of three beats the horse goes into air from a fore leg used as a leaping-pole; it then brings to the ground the diagonally disposed hind leg; the other hind leg and its diagonal fore leg are then planted so nearly together that the hoofs give the sound of but one beat; then the first acting fore leg comes to the ground from which the horse again goes into air in a new stride. The horse is said "to lead" with the legs which are advanced in each stride; if the horse goes into air from the right fore leg, it is in gallop right, as the fore and hind legs of that side are advanced beyond the fore and hind legs of the other side. If the horse goes into air from the left fore leg, it will be in gallop left.
In the full-gallop, or racing pace, the secondly planted hind leg is brought to the ground an appreciable time before its diagonally disposed fore leg, and we have a pace of four beats.
The canter, or lope, is a pace of feeble action and of low form of collection in which the diagonal fore leg is brought to the ground before the second hind leg is planted.
In the school-gallop, the most finished form of the pace, the horse is so closely united that the secondly planted hind leg reaches the ground before its diagonally disposed fore leg, and we have again a gallop of four beats.
It will be seen, then, that the galloping horse should be in gallop right in turning to the right, in gallop left in turning to the left, so that a hind leg will be under the centre of gravity as a bearer of the weight when the turn is made. If a horse, in gallop left, be turned shortly to the right, it will almost invariably fall, for as the horse leans over at the turn there will be no support under the mass. A horse at liberty instinctively changes the lead in the gallop as circumstances require; but the mounted horse cannot be depended upon to make the change voluntarily, and the rider should demand the change at the proper time.
Before the appearance of "Modern Horsemanship," no one had described how the horse began the change in the gallop, from right to left or from left to right, or how it was performed. Dr. Stillman, the only author who had touched upon the subject, suggested that the horse changed the lead when in air, but this was a manifestly incorrect supposition; for the photographs show that the hind legs are always committed to a certain stride before the horse goes into air. By riding trained horses in the gallop changes before the camera, I discovered when those movements were begun and how they were made, and I was able to explain how the aids should be applied to produce the changes; for previously, it had been a matter of experiment and tentative practice with each horse that had been taught to make the gallop change. The loose explanations in the riding regulations of every army, and even those of such authorities as Baucher and others, prove this assertion. I am somewhat familiar with the writings of nearly all the authors of standard works on horsemanship, from the days of Grisone to the present day, and I cannot recall a passage in any one of them that would indicate a knowledge of how the gallop change was made, or one that gave a rational explanation of how and why the aids should be applied.
The gallop changes must have been successfully demanded from time immemorial, but, as has been said, it was always considered a difficult performance to procure with certainty and precision, and in many cases was made as a turn was begun, the forehand beginning the change which would leave the hind legs false for that stride.
When the photographs proved that the hind legs were committed to a certain order before the horse left the ground in each leap, it was apparent that the change must take place in the hind quarters as soon as the legs of that part were free to change their order; and that the legs of the forehand must make a corresponding change when they were free, when the gallop change would be finished in one stride, without a false step.
To make the horse change, say from gallop right to gallop left, in any stride, the forces must first be fairly united; the right heel should be applied when the forehand is down, and as the hind legs are leaving the ground; immediately thereafter, as the forehand is rising, the left rein should make a slight play which will insure the change in the fore legs, and the change will be completed without a false step and without any disturbance of the pace.
FIG. 88.—WHEEL IN GALLOP
FIG. 89.—PIROUETTE WHEEL
The change from gallop left to gallop right may be demanded in a similar manner, the left leg of the rider and the right rein giving the indications.
The gallops previously described are those in which the pace is true, the only forms in which lie ease and safety.
If the horse be in gallop right (or left) and turns to the left (or right), it is false in the gallop, and may fall.
If the horse has gallop right (or left) in the forehand and gallop left (or right) in the hind quarter, it is in the cross-gallop, which is wrong, and the error should be immediately rectified.
To make the horse take gallop right from the halt, the walk, or the slow trot, the rider should first collect the forces of the animal, apply the left heel, and make a slight upward play with the right rein; when given sufficient freedom, the horse will start off with the legs of the right side leading.
Gallop left will be procured in a similar manner by the use of the right heel and the left rein.
In a slow, measured, regularly cadenced pace, the horse should be ridden in the gallop on straight lines and on circles, the rider being careful that the horse is in the true gallop on the turns.
Habitually the horse should be kept in hand, but from time to time closer forms of union should be demanded, until the rider can bring the horse to the half-halt and resume the gallop without struggle or disturbance in the pace.
In teaching the horse to change from gallop right (or left) to gallop left (or right) in the beat of the pace, the rider should put the horse in a slow gallop and after a while bring the animal to a slow trot for a few strides, and from that pace demand the gallop with the other side leading. These trotting steps will be gradually reduced and be replaced by the half-halt, in which the change should be made; and, finally, disregarding the half-halt, the rider will be able to demand the change in any stride without breaking the cadence.
In a slow, united gallop the horse should be ridden on two paths, on straight lines and on circles, in exactly the same manner as in the trot, the horse being in gallop right in passing to the right, in gallop left in passing to the left, the forehand slightly in advance of the croup.
The wheel in the gallop is produced by following a small circle on two paths, the croup toward the centre. When the turn is so short and the union so close that the inner hind leg of the horse remains on one spot, we have the pirouette wheel,—a very important movement for the mounted soldier and a valuable one for many reasons to every horseman.
Many forms of exercise adapted to disciplining the horse in various ways will suggest themselves to the rider. As, for example, taking gallop right on a straight line, bringing the horse to a half-halt, making a gallop wheel, then a change of lead, and returning over the same path in gallop left. Or, passing on two paths in gallop left, coming to a half-halt, changing lead, and going off at a right angle in gallop right. Or, riding in gallop to right (or left) on a single path on the circumference of a small circle and changing lead in the beat of the pace to go on a similar circle to the other hand, making a figure 8 without disturbing the pace.
With a little practice the trained horse may be brought to make a finished halt in any stride of the gallop without shock or danger of injury to the animal. The rider, to obtain this, should accustom the horse to come to a halt from the walk, in answer to the pressure of his legs and an increased tension upon the reins. Then the halt should be demanded in the same manner from the trot. When the horse has been taught the various forms of collection in the gallop, the rider may bring it to a halt in that pace by leaning back, closing his legs against the sides of the animal and raising the bridle-hand, at the moment the hind legs are leaving the ground. The result of this employment of the aids will be to induce the horse to carry the hind legs simultaneously under the mass and so stop the advance; and upon the release of the tension upon the reins the forehand will take a normal position and the halt will have been effected in one stride. This position of the hind legs under the body of the horse gives an elastic bearing that will prevent any shock that might injuriously affect the houghs of the animal. All carefully conducted training is assurance against strains or hurts to the horse, and an animal that has not been schooled is far more apt to slip or in some way injure itself than one that has been taught to perform the most violent movements of the manège. Of the scores of horses I have trained, not one ever threw a curb or a spavin while in my hands, and all of them were the better in every way for the work they were called upon to do.
FIG. 90.—BACKING. THE IMPULSE
FIG. 91.—BACKING
CHAPTER XIV
BACKING
The saddle-horse should go backward in the walk with the same freedom and lightness as that with which it advances in that pace; and it should pass to either hand with precision, the spur demanding the changes of direction, the bits, acting like a rudder, guiding the forehand upon the path along which the croup moves.
A few lessons on foot greatly facilitate the teaching of this movement.
The trainer, standing at the left shoulder of the animal and grasping the snaffle-reins under the chin of the horse, should, by means of a few whip taps upon the rump, and the restraint of the bit, make a fair collection of its forces. Then, after the animal is standing quietly, he should renew the whip taps upon the rump until a hind leg is flexed as if for a forward movement; at this moment the hand should draw the reins toward the chest of the horse so that the raised hind leg will take one step to the rear. The horse should be led forward for a few steps, and be again collected. In the same manner two or more steps to the rear should be demanded and the horse be made to advance while the centre of gravity is balanced and easily brought forward, the horse being kept light and the impulses alert. The steps to the rear will be gradually increased in number, until the horse will back any distance evenly and freely, the whip being ready to prevent too rapid a retreat, and hand and whip maintaining the collection; but the forward movement must always be demanded before a complete halt is effected, and an impulse obtained before the horse is called upon to back.
The rider should then mount and bring the horse in hand. By the pressure of the heels he should demand an impulse, and when a hind leg is flexed it should be carried to the rear; the rider's legs should then close against the sides of the horse, the hand give freedom, and the animal should be sent forward a few steps. Gradually the horse should be made to go to the rear for any distance, every step being demanded by hand and heels, the latter preventing too rapid or too irregular a movement, the hand requiring the raised legs to be carried back.
To turn to the right, the left leg of the rider should give an increased pressure, and the right rein, its effects measured by the left rein, should give an increased tension upon the horse's jaw, so that the forehand will follow the croup. The turns to the left will be made in the same manner, the right heel of the rider and the left rein exerting the greater influence. In going backward in the walk, the legs of the horse should follow in regular order, but the first step to the rear should be made by a hind leg, because the movement begins with an impulse from the croup; and to insure this the animal should be collected before the movement is begun. The horse should not be permitted to become heavy, but, by demanding a close collection, every step should be light and easy, and the balance should be such that the animal will be capable of going forward at any moment.