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[Illustration: MR. BAUCHER, upon Partisan.]
NEW METHOD
OF
HORSEMANSHIP,
INCLUDING THE
BREAKING AND TRAINING OF HORSES,
WITH
INSTRUCTIONS FOR OBTAINING A GOOD SEAT.
ILLUSTRATED.
By F. BAUCHER.
_Translated from the Ninth Paris Edition._
NEW YORK:
ALBERT COGSWELL, PUBLISHER,
NO. 139 EIGHTH STREET.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
The author's introduction to his "Method of Horsemanship" is omitted in
this edition, because containing much that would be uninteresting to the
American reader. It mentions the great difficulties he had in attracting
the attention of the public to his system, and the complete success with
which it was crowned when once this attention was attracted. One
paragraph from it, which contains the principle upon which his whole
method is founded, is here given:
"However favored by nature the horse may be, he requires a preparatory
exercise to enable his forces to afford each other mutual assistance;
without this everything becomes mechanical and hazardous, as well on his
part as on that of the rider.
"What musician could draw melodious sounds from an instrument without
having exercised his fingers in handling it? He would certainly, if he
attempted such a thing, produce only false discordant sounds; and the
same thing occurs in horsemanship when we undertake to make a horse
execute movements for which he has not been prepared."
M. Baucher presents the official documents upon the subject of the
introduction of his method into the French army with the following
introductory remarks:
"Since the first publication of my method, indisputable facts have
attested the truth of the principles therein contained. Field-Marshal
the Minister of War has appointed a commission, presided over by
Lieutenant-General the Marquis Oudinot, to examine into its
advantages.[A]
"Fifty horses, some from the troop, and others belonging to officers,
which had not yet commenced their education, or which were considered
difficult to manage, or vicious, were subjected to the experiment, which
commenced on the 21st March, 1842. The demands of the service of the
garrison of Paris permitting only a small number of cuirassiers,
municipal guards, and first-class lancers to be put at the disposition
of the commission, nearly all the horses were intrusted to riders who
were by no means intelligent, or else whose education was not very much
advanced. The riders themselves exercised their horses. On the 9th of
April--that is to say, after fifteen lessons--Field-Marshal the Minister
of War wished to witness the results of the system he had ordered to be
tried. His Excellency was accompanied by the members of the committee of
cavalry, and many other general officers. The men being completely armed
and equipped, and the horses caparisoned, they executed, individually
and in troop, at all the paces, movements that, up to this time, had
only been required of horses that had been exercised for five or six
months under experienced riders. The Minister of War followed all the
trials with the greatest interest, and before retiring expressed his
complete satisfaction, and announced his intention of having a general
application of it made in the army."
[A] "The commission was composed of Lieutenant-General Oudinot,
Col. Carrelet, Commander of the Municipal Guard, the Chef
d'Escadrons De Novital, commanding the Cavalry Riding-School,
and the Captain-instructors deGues, of the 5th Cuirassiers,
and De Mesanges, of the 3d Lancers."
Among the official documents in favor of Baucher's method is a letter
from M. Champmontant, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Staff, Secretary of the
Committee of Cavalry, in which he requests M. Baucher to fix a
convenient time to appear before the committee and explain his system
more completely, that they may consider its adoption in the army;
another from Lieutenant-General Marquis Oudinot to M. Baucher. In this
letter the General informs M. Baucher that the Minister of War has
decided that a series of experiments shall be made upon his method of
breaking new horses and such as were considered difficult to manage.
Then follows the report upon the trials of Baucher's method, and a
recapitulation of the daily operations by the _Chef d'Escadrons_ de
Novital, commanding the Royal School at Saumur. The complete success of
the trial is mentioned above, and an extract only from the report will
be here given:
"But, it may be objected, will not this species of captivity to which
the new method will subject the horse, prevent his lasting? Will it not
be the source of his premature decay? To this it is easy to answer by a
comparison, which to us appears conclusive. When all the wheel work of a
machine fits well together, so that each part furnishes its share of
action, there is harmony, and consequently need of a less force; so
when, in an organized body, we are enabled to obtain suppleness and
pliability in all the parts, the equilibrium becomes easy, there is
suppleness and lightness, and in consequence, a diminution of fatigue.
"Far from injuring the horse, the new method has the advantage of being
a great auxiliary in developing the muscles, particularly in a young
subject."
Extract from the report to Lieutenant-General Oudinot, by M. Carrelet,
Colonel of the Municipal Guard of Paris:
"To shorten this narration, I would say that the officers of the
Municipal Guard are unanimous in their approval of M. Baucher's
proceedings, applied to the breaking of young horses.
"We have assisted at the education of forty troop horses, all more or
less difficult to manage; and we are convinced that, by Baucher's
system, they have been more advanced in fifteen days than they would
have been in six months, by the proceedings we have been accustomed to
follow.
"I am so convinced of the efficiency of the means practised by M.
Baucher, that I am going to subject to them all the horses of my five
squadrons."
Extract from the report of Lieutenant-General Marquis Oudinot to his
Excellency the Marshal the Minister of War:
"That the system of M. Baucher may produce in the army all the
advantages expected from it, it would be necessary to have a certain
number of instructors initiated in it as completely as possible, that
they may be able to teach it afterwards.
"In consequence of which, I have the honor to propose to you to order:
"1st. That upon the return to Saumur of the commanding officer of the
riding-school, the young horses be broken after Baucher's method, and
observations made upon the advantages or disadvantages that it presents.
"2d. That in the Fifth Cuirassiers and the Third Lancers, the
application of this method be continued.
"3d. That the different bodies of cavalry within a circle of twenty-five
leagues around Paris detach, for about two months, their
captain-instructor and one officer, who should come to study the system
of M. Baucher."
The Minister of War immediately issued these three orders, and also
three additional ones:
"4th. M. Baucher, Jr., will repair to the camp at Luneville and
sojourn there during the months of June, July and August. The
captain-instructors and one lieutenant from the troops of horse
stationed in the neighborhood of Paris will be ordered to Luneville
during those months to study the Baucher system.
"5th. M. Baucher, Jr., will receive an indemnity of five hundred francs
a month.
"6th. Each of the bodies of troops of horse and establishments of
unbroken horses will receive two copies of the work entitled 'A New
Method of Horsemanship, by M. Baucher.'"
Extract from the report of the Chef d'Escadrons Grenier, appointed to
the command of the officers detached to Paris, by ministerial decision
of the 20th of May, 1842, to study the method of horsemanship of M.
Baucher:
"The officers detached to Paris were of the number of twenty-two, the
captain-instructor and a lieutenant from each regiment. * * * They
exercised for thirty-nine days. * * * These officers did not all arrive
at Paris with the belief that they could be taught anything. One-half
were captain-instructors, the rest, lieutenants, intended to become the
same. Thus, in the beginning, there was very little confidence, on the
part of the officers, in their new professor, sometimes even opposition,
but always zeal and good will.
"Little by little, confidence came, opposition disappeared; but only at
the end of the first month, after about twenty-five lessons, did all the
officers, without exception, understand the method and recognize the
superiority of M. Baucher's principles over those previously known.
"Before leaving, they all approved of the new method, and desired its
application in their regiments.
"The method of horsemanship of M. Baucher is positive and rational; it
is easy to understand, especially when studied under the direction of
some one who knows it. It is attractive to the rider, gives him a taste
for horses and horsemanship, tends to develop the horse's qualities,
especially that of lightness, which is so delightful to discover in a
saddle-horse. * * Applied to the breaking of young horses, it develops
their instinct, makes them find the domination of the rider easy and
pleasant; it preserves them from the premature ruin that an improper
breaking often brings with it; it may shorten the time devoted to the
education of the horse; and it interests the riders employed in it."
M. Desondes, Lieutenant of the Ninth Cuirassiers, winds up a long and
highly favorable report upon the breaking of young horses for the army
with the words, "To Baucher the cavalry is grateful."
Extracts from the sixth and last report upon the trials of the new
method of horsemanship of M. Baucher:
"The first trials are concluded. The principal movements of the
platoon-drill on horseback, the running at the head and charging, have
completed the exercises. Thus, thirty-five lessons have sufficed to
perfect the instruction of the tractable as well as the intractable
horses confided to me. The first rough work with the horse--that is to
say, the exercises with the snaffle prescribed by the orders--used to
take up as much time as this, and then we scarcely dared to touch the
curb-rein. In this view, the new system is of great utility for
cavalry.
"But the promptness with which we can put new horses in the ranks is not
the only advantage the new method presents; it guarantees, besides, the
preservation of the horse; it develops his faculties and his powers;
these increase by the harmony and proper application of the forces among
themselves and by their rational and opportune use. It is not the
immoderate employment of force which conquers a rebellious horse, but
the well-combined use of an ordinary force. The Baucher system ought to
be considered eminently preservative, since the breaking, being well
graduated and well combined, cannot have an injurious influence upon the
horse's _physique_; and his forces being at the disposition of the
rider, it is he, the absolute dispenser of these forces, who is
responsible for their duration or premature destruction. * * * I repeat
it, that the new method would be a great benefit, an indisputable
improvement for cavalry. * * * I pray then for its adoption, and
ardently desire its prompt introduction into the cavalry.
(Signed) DE NOVITAL."
Extract from the _Spectateur Militaire_:
"Passionately fond of a science that, from his childhood, has been the
object of studies as productive as they were persevering, M. Baucher,
after having obtained from the horse a submission almost magical, has
not been willing to be the only one to profit by his meditations; he has
put them cleverly together, and his written method is now in the hands
of all those who occupy themselves with horsemanship. * * * The division
of dragoons, and the instructors of the different bodies of troops of
horse that composed a part of the camp of Luneville, intended to
execute, after the principles of the new method, and in the presence of
their royal highnesses, the Dukes of Orleans and Nemours, equestrian
exercises that would have had thousands of spectators. The mournful
event that deprived France of the prince royal did not allow of this
performance having the _eclat_ that was intended. Nevertheless, M. the
Duke de Nemours, wishing to judge for himself of the results, has had
part of these exercises performed in his presence."
The death of the Duke of Orleans, and the indifference and afterwards
opposition of the Duke de Nemours, were the principal causes of the
system of M. Baucher not being adopted for the whole cavalry of the
French army. The former was an ardent admirer of the system, while the
latter was an equally ardent admirer of a rival professor of
horsemanship.
Extract from a letter of M. de Gouy, Colonel of the First Hussars, to M.
Baucher:
"So far from the muscular power being lessened by the repetition of the
flexions, is it not increased by having all the advantage of exercise
over repose, of work over indolence? Does not the muscular system, in
reason, develop itself, physiologically speaking, in proportion to these
conditions? Will not address and vigor be the result of these
gymnastics? Has the habitual difference between the forces of the right
and left arm any other cause than the difference in the daily use of the
one to the prejudice of the other?"
Baucher says: "To prove the complete success of my mission to Saumur, I
will back, according to my custom, my assertions by positive facts. The
officers present at my course of instruction were of the number of
seventy-two; of this number sixty-nine have sent in reports favorable to
my method. There were but _three dissenting voices_."
This statement is followed by letters from General Prevost, De Novital,
etc., all highly commending the system.
Baucher's method has been reprinted in Belgium and translated into
Dutch and German. In the latter language, several different translations
have been written, one by M. Ritgen, Lieutenant of the Fourth Regiment
of _Houlans_ (Prussian), and the other by M. de Willisen,
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventh Cuirassiers (Prussian).
The translator will give some extracts from the preface to M. de
Willisen's translation, as it shows that some of the difficulties met
with by the former were not altogether escaped by his German _confrere_.
"After the most positive results had proved to me most convincingly
that, of all existing methods, that of M. Baucher was the best, I
thought that it would be useful to translate it. This translation seemed
at first much easier than it proved in the sequel; above all, it was
actually impossible for me to render in German, as I wished, such
technical French expressions as _attaques_, _acculement_,
_assouplissement_, _ramener_, _rassembler_, etc., retaining their
clearness and conciseness. In German I could only find expressions that
were incomplete. On this account I have put all the words for which I
could not find a clear equivalent in German in the original French.
"Horses may be broken with much success upon other principles--they have
been broken before M. Baucher's time--but no work has thrown so much
light upon horse education; no other method has taught such simple and
sure means, nor presented a like result with certainty. He who would
ride with safety and satisfaction, ought to be completely master of an
obedient and correct horse. To obtain this result, M. Baucher gives the
surest means and points out the shortest road:
"The exact knowledge of the obstacles that the horse presents to dispose
him to obey easily; the simple manner, easy to understand and easy to
execute, of making these obstacles disappear, distinguish this method
from all preceding ones, and render it of the greatest importance to all
riders.
"The close relations that are established between rider and horse give
the former such a certainty of hand and legs, and the latter such
suppleness and obedience, that a like result has never previously been
obtained.
"Until now, no horseman has ever had such clear and sure means for
breaking a horse given him, even approximatively, as are contained in
this book. The trial will give the most convincing proofs of this when
we undertake to apply the principles therein contained; but that can
only be considered a trial when made by following strictly what is
prescribed in the method. There is no other method that can put the
horse so certainly in the hand and in the legs of the rider; no other
method succeeds in developing so much address and assurance in horse or
rider: the horse feels at his ease, the rider is absolute master of him,
and both are at their ease. * * * This new method teaches, further, what
is of very great importance, the most certain means of making the rider
perfectly in harmony with his horse, so that they can understand and
mutually trust one another, in such a way that the horse obeys as
punctually as the rider guides him skilfully. In place of being obliged
to break every horse after our own particular fashion, we will only,
thanks to this method, have to occupy ourselves with one horse, for it
teaches us that the same means are applicable to all horses. It is
unnecessary to enumerate the advantages the instruction of the rider
gains from it, for he escapes the martyrdom of the lessons being given
him on awkward, badly-broken horses. Riders will sooner become masters
of these managed horses, and will acquire in six weeks a seat that will
come of itself, and their touch will be developed much more quickly.
"Finally, men learn very quickly to put in practice means that are
applied on foot, and there is a great advantage in it; it is that they
can see better the moment that the neck becomes flexible and the jaw
without contraction; besides this, their hand becomes much more delicate
than it would have become in a much greater space of time, if the
application took place in the saddle.
"Until now, only men of great talent were able to break horses; now, by
practising this new method, which demonstrates clearly the means of
breaking, every rider, in a very short time, can acquire the knowledge
necessary to render a horse fit for use. * * * A person commencing to
learn this method, and who is obliged to work from the book, ought to
proceed slowly and cautiously in the application of principles that are
not familiar to him. He ought first to endeavor to perfect his seat, his
position, his touch, the obedience of his horse, and his paces; he will
thus make great progress in the breaking, and be enabled to undertake
the application of the new method.
"DE WILLISEN,
"_Lieut.-Col. of the Seventh Cuirassiers_."
M. Baucher received from the King of Prussia a magnificent snuff-box of
elegantly carved gold, as a token of the satisfaction of his majesty
with our author's system.
If anybody has read all this, they will be pleased to hear that there
will be no more proofs of the excellence of the system brought from
across the Atlantic. In consequence of the opposition mentioned above,
Baucher's system was discontinued in the French army, in spite of the
almost unanimous wish of the officers. But he has gained a name as the
first horseman of this or any other age--the first who could not only
manage horses himself, but teach others to do so equally well. This has
been proved under the translator's own eyes.
A gentleman of Philadelphia purchased a horse, four years old, long,
_gangling_, ewe-necked; such a brute as no one but a confident disciple
of Baucher would have had anything to do with. Had he hunted the country
for a horse with but one merit, that of soundness, and possessing that
only because nothing had ever been done to injure it, he could not have
been better suited. Mounted upon this animal, it was painful to see a
good rider in such a quandary; but a quiet, confident smile showed what
was intended to come of it.
In six weeks from that time, without the horse ever having crossed the
threshold of the stable-yard, the writer saw him splendid, with his neck
arched like the steed in Holy Writ, his haunches well under him,
obedient to the lightest touch of hand or heel, ready to do anything
that was demanded of him, because he had been put in a position that
enabled him to do it.
Since that, the same person has broken two other horses of greater
natural capabilities, and the success was proportionately greater.
Every one who takes any interest in horses recollects the horse May-fly,
when first introduced to an American audience, by Sands, of Welsh's
circus. This horse, a thoroughbred, belonging to the racing stud of
Baron Rothschild, was so vicious that he had to be brought upon the
race-course in a van, so that he could see nothing till the moment to
start arrived. With even this and similar precautions, he was considered
dangerous and unmanageable. The master hand was required, and, under
its influence, all such things as vice and being unmanageable
disappeared. Instead of violent force on the part of man, which would
only have produced more violent force on the part of the brute, Baucher
sought out the sources of these resistances, and conquered them in
detail.
Is it not worth a few weeks' pleasant labor with your horse to be able
to make him move with the grace, elegance and majesty of this one, or of
those we have since seen ridden by Derious, and that French Amazon,
Caroline Loyo? It is within the power of every one to do this to a
certain extent; and as the education of the man as a rider advances
progressively with that of the horse, there are, as Baucher himself
says, no limits to the progress of horsemanship, and no performance,
_equestrianly_ possible, that a horseman, who will properly apply his
principles, cannot make his horse execute.
__________________________
BAUCHER'S
NEW METHOD OF HORSEMANSHIP.
---------------------------
CHAPTER I.
NEW MEANS OF OBTAINING A GOOD SEAT
It may undoubtedly be thought astonishing that, in the first editions of
this work, having for its object the horse's education, I should not
have commenced by speaking of the rider's seat. In fact, this, so
important a part of horsemanship, has always been the basis of classical
works on this subject. Nevertheless, it is not without a motive that I
have deferred treating of this question until now. Had I had nothing new
to say on this subject, I might very easily have managed, by consulting
old authors, by transposing a sentence here and changing a word there,
to have sent forth into the equestrian world another inutility. But I
had other ideas; I wished to make a thorough reform. My system for
giving a good seat to the rider, being also an innovation, I feared lest
so many new things at one time should alarm even the best intentioned
amateurs, and give a hold to my adversaries. They would not have failed
to say that my means of managing a horse were impracticable, or that
they could not be applied without recourse to a seat still more
impracticable. But now I have proved the contrary--that, upon my plan,
horses have been broken by troops without regard to the men's seat. To
give more force to my method, and render it more easily comprehensible,
I have divested it of all accessories, and said nothing about those new
principles that concern the rider's seat. I reserved these last until
after the indisputable success of the official trials. By means of these
principles, added to those I have published upon the art of
horse-breaking, I both shorten the man's work, and establish a system
not only precise, but complete in these two important parts of
horsemanship, hitherto so confused.
By following my new instructions relating to the man's seat on
horseback, we will promptly arrive at a certain result; they are as easy
to understand as to demonstrate. Two sentences are sufficient to explain
all to the rider, and he will get a good seat by the simple advice of
the instructor.
_The seat of the rider._--The rider will expand his chest as much as
possible, so that each part of his body rests upon that next below it,
for the purpose of increasing the adhesion of his buttocks to the
saddle; the arms will fall easily by the sides. The thighs and legs
must, by their own strength, find as many points of contact as possible
with the saddle and the horse's sides; the feet will naturally follow
the motion of the legs.
You see by these few lines how simple the rider's seat is.
The means which I point out for quickly obtaining a good seat, remove
all the difficulties which the plan pursued by our predecessors
presented. The pupil used to understand nothing of the long catechism,
recited in a loud voice by the instructor, from the first word to the
last, consequently he could not execute it. Here one word replaces all
those sentences; but we previously go through a course of supplings.
This course will make the rider expert, and consequently intelligent.
One month will not elapse without the most stupid and awkward recruit
being able to seat himself properly without the aid of the word of
command.
_Preparatory lesson (the lesson to last an hour, two lessons a day for a
month)._--The horse is led upon the ground, saddled and bridled. The
instructor must take two pupils; one will hold the horse by the bridle,
all the while watching what the other does, that he may be able to
perform in his turn. The pupil will approach the horse's shoulder and
prepare to mount; for this purpose he will lay hold of and separate,
with the right hand, a handful of mane, and pass it into the left hand,
taking hold as near the roots as possible, without twisting them; he
will seize the pommel of the saddle with the right hand, the four
fingers in, and the thumb outside; then springing lightly, will raise
himself upon his wrists. As soon as his middle is the height of the
horse's withers, he will pass the right leg over the croup, without
touching it, and place himself lightly in the saddle. This vaulting
being very useful in making the man active, he should be made to repeat
it eight or ten times, before letting him finally seat himself. The
repetition of this will soon teach him what he is able to do, using the
powers of his arms and loins.
_Exercise in the saddle._--(This is a stationary exercise on horseback;
an old, quiet horse to be chosen in preference; the reins are knotted,
and hang on his neck.) The pupil being on horseback, the instructor will
examine his natural position, in order to exercise more frequently those
parts which have a tendency to give way or stiffen. The lesson will
commence with the chest. The instructor will make use of the flexions of
the loins, which expand the chest, to straighten the upper part of the
pupil's body; he whose loins are slack will be made to hold himself in
this position for some time, without regard to the stiffness which this
will bring along with it the first few times. It is by the exertion of
force that the pupil will become supple, and not by the _abandon_ so
much and so uselessly recommended. A movement at first obtained by great
effort, will, after a while, not require so much, for he will then have
gained skill, and skill, in this case, is but the result of exertions
combined and employed properly. What is first done with twenty pounds of
force, reduces itself afterwards to fourteen, to ten, to four. Skill
will be the exertion reduced to four pounds. If we commenced by a less,
we would not attain this result. The flexions of the loins will be often
renewed, allowing the pupil often to let himself down into his natural
relaxed position, in order to make him properly employ the force that
quickly gives a good position to the chest. The body being well placed,
the instructor will pass: 1st. To the lesson of the arm, which consists
in moving it in every direction, first bent, and afterwards extended;
2d. To that of the head; this must be turned right and left without its
motions reacting on the shoulders.
When the lessons of the chest, arms, and head give a satisfactory
result, which ought to be at the end of four days (eight lessons), they
will pass to that of the legs.
The pupil will remove one of his thighs as far as possible from the
quarters of the saddle; and afterwards replace it with a rotatory
movement from without inwards, in order to make it adhere to the saddle
by as many points of contact as possible. The instructor will watch
that the thigh does not fall back heavily; it should resume its position
by a slowly progressive motion, and without a jerk. He ought, moreover,
during the first lesson, to take hold of the pupil's leg and direct it,
in order to make him understand the proper way of performing this
displacement. He will thus save him fatigue, and obtain the result more
quickly.
This kind of exercise, very fatiguing at first, requires frequent rests;
it would be wrong to prolong the exercise beyond the powers of the
pupil. The motions of drawing in (_adduction_, which makes the thigh
adhere to the saddle), and putting out (_abduction_, which separates it
from the saddle), becoming more easy, the thighs will have acquired a
suppleness which will admit of their adherence to the saddle in a good
position. Then comes the flexion of the legs.
_Flexion of the legs._--The instructor will watch that the knees always
preserve their perfect adherence to the saddle. The legs will be swung
backward and forward like the pendulum of a clock; that is, the pupil
will raise them so as to touch the cantle of the saddle with his heels.
The repetition of these flexions will soon render the legs supple,
pliable and independent of the thighs. The flexions of the legs and
thighs will be continued for four days (eight lessons). To make each of
these movements more correct and easier, eight days (or sixteen
lessons), will be devoted to it. The fifteen days (thirty lessons),
which remain to complete the month, will continue to be occupied by the
exercise of stationary supplings; but, in order that the pupil may learn
to combine the strength of his arms, and that of his loins, he will be
made to hold at arm's length, progressively, weights of from ten to
forty pounds. This exercise will be commenced in the least fatiguing
position, the arm being bent, and the hand near the shoulder, and this
flexion will be continued to the full extent of the arm. The chest
should not be affected by this exercise, but be kept steady in the same
position.
_Of the knees._--The strength of pressure of the knees will be judged
of, and even obtained, by the aid of the following method: this, which
at first sight will perhaps appear of slight importance, will,
nevertheless, bring about great results. The instructor will take a
narrow piece of leather about twenty inches long; he will place one end
of this strap between the pupil's knee and the side of the saddle. The
pupil will make use of the force of his knees to prevent its slipping,
while the instructor will draw it towards him slowly and progressively.
This process will serve as a dynamometer to judge of the increase of
power.
The strictest watch must be kept that each force which acts separately
does not put other forces in action; that is to say, that the movement
of the arms does not influence the shoulders; it should be the same with
the thighs, with respect to the body; the legs, with respect to the
thighs, etc., etc. The displacement and suppling of each part
separately, being obtained, the chest and seat will be temporarily
displaced, in order to teach the rider to recover his proper position
without assistance. This will be done as follows: the instructor being
placed on one side, will push the pupil's hip, so that his seat will be
moved out of the seat of the saddle. The instructor will then allow him
to get back into the saddle, being careful to watch that, in regaining
his seat, he makes use of his hips and knees only, in order to make him
use only those parts nearest to his seat. In fact, the aid of the
shoulders would soon affect the hand, and this the horse; the assistance
of the legs would have still worse results. In a word, in all the
displacements, the pupil must be taught not to have recourse in order to
direct the horse, to the means which keep him in his seat, and, _vice
versa_, not to employ, in order to keep his seat, those which direct the
horse.
Here, but a month has elapsed, and these equestrian gymnastics have made
a rider of a person, who at first may have appeared the most unfit for
it. Having mastered the preliminary trials, he will impatiently await
the first movements of the horse, to give himself up to them with the
ease of an experienced rider.
Fifteen days (thirty lessons) will be devoted to the walk, trot and
gallop. Here the pupil should solely endeavor to follow the movements of
the horse; therefore, the instructor will oblige him to occupy himself
only with his seat, and not attempt to guide the horse. He will only
exact that the pupil ride, at first, straight before him, then in every
direction, one rein of the snaffle in each hand. At the end of four days
(eight lessons), he may be made to take the curb-rein in his left hand.
The right hand, which is now free, must be held alongside of the left,
that he may early get the habit of sitting square (with his shoulders on
a level); the horse will trot equally to the right and to the left. When
the seat is firmly settled at all the paces, the instructor will explain
simply, the connection between the wrist and the legs, as well as their
separate effects.
_Education of the horse._--Here the rider will commence the horse's
education, by following the progression I have pointed out, and which
will be found farther on. The pupil will be made to understand all that
there is rational in it, and what an intimate connection exists between
the education of the man and that of the horse.
_Recapitulation and progression._--
Days. Lessons.
1. Flexion of the loins to expand the
chest 4 8
2. Extending and replacing of the
thighs, and flexion of the legs 4 8
3. General exercise of all the parts in
succession 8 16
4. Displacement of the man's body,
exercise of the knees and arms with
weights in the hands 15 30
5. Position of the rider, the horse being
at a walk, trot and gallop, in order
to fashion and settle the seat at these
different paces 15 30
6. Education of the horse by the rider 75 150
---- ----
Total 121 242