Gallop, and to work him in it upon Circles, is demanding of him too
great a degree of Obedience. In the first place, it is very sure that
the Horse can unite himself with greater Ease in going strait forward,
than in turning; and, in the next place, the Walk being a slow and
distinct Pace, and the Gallop being quick and violent, it is much
better to begin with the Trot, which is a quick Action, than with the
Walk, which is slow and calm, however raised and supported its Action
may be.--Two things are requisite to form the Gallop, _viz._ it ought
to be _just_, and it ought to be _even_ or _equal_.--I call that Gallop
_just_, in which the Horse leads with the Right-leg before, and I call
that the Right-leg which is foremost, and which the Horse puts out
beyond the other. For Instance--A Horse gallops and supports himself in
his Gallop, upon the outward Fore-foot, the Right Fore-foot clears the
Way, the Horse consequently gallops with the Right-foot, and the Gallop
is just, because he puts forward and leads with his Right-foot.
THIS Motion of the Right-foot is indispensably necessary, for if
the Horse were to put his Left Fore-foot first, his Gallop would be
_false_; so that it is to be understood, that whenever you put a Horse
to the Gallop, he should always go off with his Right fore-foot,
and keep it foremost, or he can never be said to gallop _just_ and
_true_.--I understand by an _even_ or _equal_ Gallop, that in which the
Hind-parts follow and accompany the Fore-parts; as for Example--If a
Horse gallops, or leads with his Right-leg before, the Hind Right-leg
ought to follow; for if the Left Hind-leg were to follow, the Horse
would then be disunited: The Justness then of the Gallop depends upon
the Action of the Fore-feet, as the Union or Evenness of it does on the
Hind-feet.
THIS general Rule which fixes the Justness of the Gallop, that is to
say, this Principle which obliges the Horse to lead with the Right
Fore-foot when he gallops, strict as it is, yet sometimes parts with
its Privileges in deference to the Laws of the Manage.--The Design
of this School is to make equally supple and active all the Limbs of
a Horse.--It is not requisite then that the Horse should lead always
with the same Leg, because it is absolutely necessary that he should
be equally ready and supple with both his Shoulders, in order to work
properly upon the different Airs.--It seems but reasonable that this
Rule should be observed likewise out of the Manage; and therefore it
has of late obtain'd that Hunting-horses should lead indifferently
with both Legs; because it has been found on Trial, that by strictly
adhering to the Rule of never suffering a Horse to gallop but with his
Right Fore-leg, he has been quite ruin'd and worn out on one Side, when
he was quite fresh and sound on the other.--Be that as it will, it is
not less certain, that in the Manage a Horse may gallop false, either
in going strait forward, or in going round, or upon a Circle; for
instance--He is going strait, and to the Right-hand, and sets off with
the Left Fore-foot; he then is false, just as he would be, if in going
to the Left, he should lead with his Right Fore-foot.
THE Motions of a Horse, when disunited, are so disorder'd and
perplex'd, that he runs a risque of falling, because his Action then is
the Action of the Trot, and quite opposite to the Nature of the Gallop.
It is true, that for the Rider's Sake he had better be false.
IF a Horse in full Gallop changes his Legs from one side to the other
alternately, this Action of the Amble in the Midst of his Course, is so
different from the Action of the Gallop, that it occasions the Horse to
go from the Trot to the Amble, and from the Amble to the Trot.
WHEN a Horse gallops strait forward, however short and confin'd his
Gallop is, his Hind-feet always go beyond his Fore feet, even the Foot
that leads, as well as the other.--To explain this.--If the inner
Fore-foot leads, the inner Hind-foot ought to follow, so that the
inner Feet, both that which leads, and that which follows, are prest,
the other two at liberty.--The Horse sets off, the outward Fore-foot
is on the Ground, and at liberty, this makes one _Time_; immediately
the inner Fore-foot which leads and is prest, marks a second, here are
two _Times_; then the outward Hind-foot which was on the Ground, and
at liberty, marks the third _Time_; lastly, the inner Hind-foot which
leads and is prest, comes to the Ground, and marks the fourth; so that
when a Horse goes strait forward and gallops just, he performs it in
four distinct _Times_, _one_, _two_, _three_, _four_.
IT is very difficult to feel exactly, and perceive these Times of the
Gallop; but yet by Observation and Practice it may be done.--The Times
of a Horse, who covers and embraces a good deal of Ground, are much
more easy to mark than his who covers but little.--The Action of the
one is quick and short, and that of the other long, slow, and distinct;
but whether the natural Motions and _Beats_ of the Horse are slow or
quick, the Horseman absolutely ought to know them, in order to humour
and work conformably to them; for should he endeavour to lengthen and
prolong the Action of the one, in hopes of making him go forward more
readily, and to shorten and confine that of the other, in order to put
him more _together_; the Action of both would in this Case not only
be forced and disagreeable, but the Horses would resist and defend
themselves, because Art is intended only to assist and correct, but
not to change Nature.--In working your Horse upon Circles, it is the
outward Rein that you must use to guide and make him go forward; for
this purpose turn your Hand _in_ from time to time, and aid with your
outward Leg.--If the Croupe should be turn'd too much out, you must
carry your Hand on the outward Side of your Horse's Neck; and you will
confine it, and keep it from quitting its Line.--I would be understood
of Circles of two Lines or Treads, where the Haunches are to be
attended to.--Before you put your Horse to this, he should be gallop'd
upon plain, or Circles of one Line only.--In this Lesson, in order
to supple your Horse, make use of your inner Rein to pull his Head
towards the Center, and aid with the Leg of the same Side, to push his
Croupe out of the Volte; by this means you bend the Ribs of the Horse.
THE Hind-feet certainly describe a much larger Circle than his
Fore-feet; indeed they make a second Line: but when a Horse is said
to gallop only upon a Circle of one Line or Tread, he always and of
necessity makes two; because, were the Hind-feet to make the same Line
as the Fore-feet, the Lesson would be of no use, and the Horse would
never be made supple; for he only becomes supple in proportion as the
Circle made with his Hind-feet is greater than that described by his
Fore-feet.
WHEN your Horse is so far advanced, as to be able to gallop lightly
and readily upon this sort of Circle, begin then to make frequent
Stops with him.--To make them well in the Gallop, with his Head in,
and Croupe out, the Rider must use his outward Leg, to bring _in_ the
outward Leg of the Horse; otherwise he would never be able to stop upon
his Haunches, because the outward Haunch is always out of the Volte.
TO make a Stop in a Gallop strait forwards, you should carefully put
your Horse _together_, without altering or disturbing the Apuy, and
throw your Body back a little, in order to accompany the Action, and to
relieve the Horse's Shoulders.--You should seize the time of making the
Stop, keeping your Hand and Body quite still, exactly when you feel
the Horse put his Fore-feet to the Ground, in order that by raising
them immediately, by the next Motion that he would make, he may be upon
his Haunches.--If on the contrary, you were to begin to make the Stop,
while the Shoulders of the Horse were advanced, or in the Air, you
would run the Risque of hardening his Mouth, and must throw him upon
his Shoulders, and even upon the Hand, and occasion him to make some
wrong Motions with his Head, being thus surprized at the Time when his
Shoulders and Feet are coming to the Ground.
THERE are some Horses who retain themselves, and don't put out their
Strength sufficiently; these should be galloped briskly, and then
slowly again, remembring to gallop them sometimes fast, and sometimes
slow, as you judge necessary.--Let them go a little Way at full Speed,
make a half Stop, by putting back your Body, and bring them again to a
slow Gallop; by these means they will most certainly be compelled both
to obey the Hand and Heel.
IN the slow Gallop, as well as in the Trot, it is necessary sometimes
to close your Heels to the Horse's Sides, this is called _pinching_;
but you must pinch him in such a manner, as not to make him abandon
himself upon the Hand, and take care that he be upon his Haunches, and
not upon his Shoulders, and therefore whenever you pinch him, keep him
in the Hand.
TO put him well together, and make him bring his Hind-legs under him,
close your two Legs upon him, putting them very back; this will oblige
him to slide his Legs under him; at the same Instant, raise your Hand a
little to support him before, and yield it again immediately. Support
him and give him the Rein again from time to time, till you find that
he begins to play and bend his Haunches, and that he gallops leaning
and sitting down as it were upon them; press him with the Calfs of the
Legs, and you will make him quick and sensible to the Touch.
IF your Horse has too fine a Mouth, gallop him upon sloping ground,
this will oblige him to lean a little upon the Hand, the better to
put himself upon his Haunches; and the Fear that he will be under of
hurting his Bars, will prevent his resisting the Operation of the Bitt.
IF Galloping upon a sloping Ground assures and fixes a Mouth that is
weak and fickle, make use of the same Ground in making your Horse
ascend it, in case he is heavy in the Hand; and his Apuy be too strong,
and it will lighten him.
THERE are some Horsemen who mark each Motion of the Horse in his
Gallop, by moving their Bodies and Heads; they ought, however, without
Stiffness or Constraint to consent and yield to all his Motions, yet
with a Smoothness and Pliancy so as not to be perceived, for all great
or rude Motions always disturb the Horse.--To do this you must advance
or present your Breast, and stretch yourself firm in your Stirrups;
this is the only Way to fix and unite yourself entirely to the Animal
who carries you.
THE Property of the Gallop is, as may be gathered from all that has
been said of it, to give the Horse a good Apuy.
IN reality, in this Action he lifts at every time both his Shoulders
and Legs together, in such a manner, that in making this Motion his
Fore-part is without Support, till his Fore-feet come to the Ground;
so that the Rider, by supporting or bearing him gently in Hand, as
he comes down, can consequently give an Apuy to a Mouth that has
none.----You must take care, that by retaining your Horse too much in
his Gallop, you don't make him become _ramingue_, and weaken the Mouth
that is light and unsteady; as the full or extended Gallop is capable
on the other Hand, to harden an Apuy which was strong and _full in the
Hand_ before.
THE Gallop does not only assure and make steady a weak and delicate
Mouth, but it also supples a Horse, and makes him ready and active in
his Limbs.--It fixes the Memory and Attention of Horses likewise, who
from too much Heat and Impetuosity in their Temper, never attend to the
Aids of the Rider, nor the Times of their setting off; it teaches those
who retain themselves, to go forward, and to set off ready and with
Spirit; and lastly, it takes off all the superfluous Vigour of such
Horses as, from too much Gaiety, avail themselves of their Strength
and Courage to resist their Riders.--Take care, however, to proportion
this Lesson to the Nature, the Strength, and Inclination of the Animal;
and remember, that a violent and precipitate Gallop would hurt an
impatient and hot Horse, as much as it would be proper and useful to
one who retains himself, and is jadish and lazy.
CHAP. XV.
_Of Passades._
THE Passades are the truest Proofs a Horse can give of his
Goodness.--By his going off you judge of his Swiftness; by his Stop,
you discover the Goodness or Imperfection of his Mouth; and by the
Readiness with which he turns, you are enabled to decide upon his
Address and Grace; in short, by making him go off a second time you
discover his Temper and Vigour.--When your Horse is light and active
before, is firm upon his Haunches, and has them supple and free, so as
to be able to accompany the Shoulders, is obedient and ready to both
Hands, and to the Stop, he is then fit to be work'd upon Passades.
[Illustration: Passade to the Right.]
Walk him along the Side of the Wall in a steady even Pace, supporting
and keeping him light in the Hand, in order to shew him the Length of
the Passade, and the Roundness of the _Volte_ or _Demi-volte_, which he
is to make at the End of each Line.--Stop at the End, and when he has
finish'd the last Time of the Stop raise him, and let him make two or
three Pesades. After this make a Demivolte of two Lines in the Walk;
and while he is turning, and the Moment you have clos'd it, demand
again of him two or three Pesades, and then let him walk on in order to
make as many to the other Hand.
[Illustration: Passade to the Left.]
You must take care to confirm him well in this Lesson.--From the Walk
you will put him to the Trot upon a strait Line; from the Trot to a
slow Gallop, from that to a swifter; being thus led on by degrees, and
step by step, he will be able to furnish all sorts of Passades, and to
make the Demi-volte in any Air that you have taught him.
YOU should never put your Horse to make a Volte or Demi-volte at the
time that he is disunited, pulls, or is heavy in the Hand, or is upon
his Shoulders; on the contrary, you should stop him at once, and make
him go backward till you perceive that he is regulated and united upon
his Haunches, light _before_, and has taken a good and just Apuy.
A PERFECT Passade is made in this Manner.--Your Horse standing strait
and true upon all his Feet, you go off with him at once, you stop him
upon his Haunches; and in the same _Time_ or _Cadence_ in which he
made his Stop, being exactly obedient to the Hand and Heel, he ought
to make the Demi-volte, balancing himself upon his Haunches, and so
waiting till you give him the Aid to set off again. It is requisite
then that the least Motion or Hint of the Rider should be an absolute
Command to the Horse.--If you would have him go off at full Speed,
yield your Hand, close the Calves of your Legs upon him; if he don't
answer to this Aid, give him the Spurs, but you must give them so as
not to remove them from the Place where they were, and without opening
or advancing your Legs before you strike.
THE high Passades are those which a Horse makes, when being at
the End of his Line, he makes his Demi-volte in any Air he has
been taught, either in the _Mezair_ or in _Curvets_, which is very
beautiful.--Therefore in high Passades let your Horse go off at full
Speed; let your Stop be follow'd by three Curvets; let the Demi-volte
consist of the same Number, and demand of him three more before he sets
off again.--It is usual to make nine Curvets when you work a Horse
alone and by himself.
THE furious or violent Passades, are when a Horse gallops at his utmost
Speed strait forward, and makes his half Stop, bending and playing his
Haunches two or three times, before he begins his Demi-volte, which is
made upon one Line, in three Times; for at the third Time he should
finish the Demi-volte, and be strait upon the Line of the Passade, in
order to go off again and continue it.
THIS sort of Passades was heretofore used in private Combats, and
although it may appear that the Time that is employed in making the
half Stop is lost, and only hinders you from gaining the Croupe of the
Enemy; yet the half Stop is indispensably necessary, for unless a Horse
is balanced upon his Haunches, and they bend and play under him, he
could never make his Demi-volte, without being in danger of Falling.
CHAP. XVI.
_Of Pesades._
THE Pesade takes its Name from the Motion of the Horse, which, in
this Action, leans and lays all the Weight of his Body upon his
Haunches.--To be perfect, the Hind-feet which support the whole ought
to be fix'd and immoveable, and the Fore-part of the Horse more or less
rais'd, according as the Creature will allow, but the Fore-legs, from
the Knee to the Feet, must always be extremely bent and brought under
him.
THE Property of the Pesade is to dispose and prepare a Horse for all
sorts of Manages; for it is the Foundation of all the Airs: Great
Caution, however, must be had not to teach your Horse to rise up or
stand upon his Haunches, which is making a _Pesade_, if he is not quite
exact and obedient to the Hand and Heel; for in this Case you would
throw him into great Disorder, spoil his Mouth, and falsify the Apuy,
would teach him to make _Points_, as they are called, and even make him
become _restive_; inasmuch as the generality of Horses only rise up to
resist their Rider, and because they will neither go forward nor turn.
YOUR Horse then being so far advanced as to be fit to be tried and
exercised in the Pesade, work him upon the Walk, the Trot, and Gallop;
stop him in the Hand, keep him firm and moderately _together_; aid
with the Tongue, the Switch, and your Legs; the Moment you perceive
he comprehends what it is you would have him to do, though never so
little, encourage and caress him.--If in the Beginning of this Lesson
you were to use Force or Rigour, he would consider the Strictness of
your Hand, and the Aids of the Legs, as a Punishment, and it would
discourage him. It is therefore proper to work gently and by degrees;
whenever then he makes an Attempt to rise, caress him; make him go
forwards, try to make him rise a second time, either more or less, and
use him by degrees to rise higher and higher; you will find that he
will soon be able to make his Pesades perfect, and to make four, or
even more, with Ease and Readiness; sluggish and heavy Horses require
in the Beginning stronger and sharper Aids.
THERE are other Horses who are apt to rise of themselves, without being
requir'd to do so; drive them forward in order to prevent them.--Some
in making the Pesade, don't bend and gather up their Fore-legs, but
stretch them out, paw, and cross them one over the other in the Air,
resembling the Action of a Person's Hands who plays upon the Spinnet;
to these Horses you mush apply the Switch, striking them briskly upon
the Shoulders or Knees.--There are others, who in the Instant that
you endeavour to make them rise, availing themselves of the Power
which they have from being put _together_, in order to perform this
Action, throw themselves forward in hopes of freeing themselves from
all Subjection; the only Way to correct such Vices, is to make the
Horse go backward the same Length of Ground, that he forced and
broke through.--There is another kind of Horses, who to avoid being
_put together_ in order to make a Pesade, as well as to resist the
Rider, will fling their Croupe _in_ and _out_, sometimes to one side,
sometimes to the other; in this Case, if you perceive that your Horse
is apt to fling his Croupe more to the Left than to the Right, you
must put him to the Wall, the Wall being on the Left-hand, and there
support and confine him with your Right-leg, and even _pinch_ him if
there should be occasion; taking care to carry your Hand to the Right,
but imperceptibly, and no more than what will just serve to shorten the
left Rein.
IF he throws himself to the Right, you must put him so as to have the
Wall on the Right; you must support and pinch him with your Left-leg,
and shorten your Right-rein by carrying your Hand to the Left.--I must
however repeat it over and over, that in a Lesson of this kind, in
which a Horse may find out Methods and Inventions to resist and defend
himself; I say, in giving such Lessons, the Rider ought to be Master of
the surest Judgment and most consummate Prudence.
MOREOVER, you should take care not to fall into the Mistake of those
who imagine that the higher a Horse rises, the more he is upon his
Haunches.--In the Pesade, the Croupe is pushed back, and the Horse
bends his Haunches; but if he rises too high, he no longer sits upon
his Haunches, for from that Moment he becomes stiff, and stands strait
upon his Hocks; and instead of throwing his Croupe back, he draws it
towards him.
THOSE Sort of Pesades, in which the Horse rises too high, and stiffens
his Hocks, are call'd _Goat-Pesades_, as they resemble the Action of
that Animal.
THE Aids that are to be given in Pesades are derived from those used
to make a Horse go backward.--Place your Hand as if you intended to
make your Horse go backward, but close your Legs at the same time, and
he will rise.--For this reason nothing is more absurd than the Method
which some Horsemen teach their Scholars, who oblige them, in order to
make their Horses rise, to use only their Switch; they must certainly
not know that the Hand confining the Fore-part, and the Rider's Legs
driving the Hinder-parts forward, the Horse is compell'd, whether he
will or no, to raise his Shoulders from the Ground, and to throw all
the Weight of his Body upon his Haunches.
CHAP. XVII.
_Of the Mezair._
THE Gallop is the Foundation of the _Terre-a-Terre_; for in these
two Motions the Principle of the Action is the same, since the
_Terre-a-Terre_ is only a shorten'd Gallop, with the Croupe _in_, and
the Haunches following in a close and quick Time.
THE Mezair is higher than the Action of _Terre-a-Terre_, and lower than
that of _Curvets_; we may therefore conclude, that the _Terre-a-Terre_,
is the Foundation of the Mezair, as well as of _Curvets_.--In the
_Terre-a-Terre_, the Horse should be more _together_ than in the Gallop,
that he may mark his _Time_ or _Cadence_ more distinctly; although in a
true _Terre-a-Terre_, there are no Times to be mark'd, for it is rather
a gliding of the Haunches, which comes from the natural Springs in the
Limbs of the Horse.
I HAVE said, that the _Terre-a-Terre_ is the Foundation of the
_Mezair_; in effect, the higher you raise the Fore-parts of the Horse,
the slower and more distinct his Action will be, and by making him beat
and mark the Time with his Hind-feet, instead of gliding them along as
in the _Terre-a-Terre_, you put him to the _Mezair_, or _Half-curvets_.
WHEN a Horse works _Terre-a-Terre_, he always ought, the same as in
the _Gallop_, to lead with the Legs that are within the Volte, his two
Fore-feet being in the Air, and the Moment that they are coming down,
his two Hind-feet following.
THE Action of the Gallop is always one, two, three, and four; the
_Terre-a-Terre_ consists only of two Lines, one, two.--The Action is
like that of _Curvets_, except that it is more under the Horse; that
is, he bends his Haunches more, and moves them quicker and closer than
in Curvets.
TO work a Horse _Terre-a-Terre_ upon large Circles, take care to keep
your Body strait, steady and true in the Saddle, without leaning to
one side or the other.--Lean upon the outward Stirrup, and keep your
outward Leg nearer the Side of the Horse than the other Leg, taking
care to do it so as not to let it be perceived.--If you go to the
Right, keep your Bridle-hand a little on the Outside of the Horse's
Neck, turning your little finger up, without turning your Nails at the
same time; although if need be you must turn them, in order to make the
inner Rein work which passes over the Little-finger.--Keep your Arms
and Elbows to your Hips, by this means you will assure and confine your
Hands, which ought to accompany, and, if I may so say, run along the
Line of the Circle with the Horse.
IN the _Mezair_, use the same Aids as in working upon _Curvets_.--Give
the Aids of the Legs with Delicacy, and no stronger than is just
necessary to carry your Horse forward.--Remember when you close your
Legs to make him go forward, to press with the Outward in such a degree
as to keep your Horse confin'd; and to assist the other in driving him
forward; it is not necessary to lay so much Stress on the inner Leg,
because that serves only to guide the Horse, and make him cover and
embrace the Ground that lays before him.
CHAP. XVIII.
_Of Curvets._