_Animations_ are intended to produce greater speed, or to render the
horse more lively, and on the alert, without increasing his pace; some
horses scarcely ever require animations, while others are so dull, and
deficient in mettle, as to call them frequently into use. The slightest
movement of the body, the hand, or the leg, is enough to rouse the well
bred, and thoroughly trained animal; but it is necessary with sluggish
horses, that the animations, to be so spirited and united, as almost to
become corrections: in fact, what is mere animation to the one horse,
would be a positive correction to another.
Animations should be used in all cases, when the horse, contrary to the
rider's inclination, either decreases his speed, droops his head, bears
heavily and languidly upon the bit, or begins to be lazy and slovenly in
the performance of his pace. A good rider foresees the necessity for an
animation, before the horse actually abates his speed, or loses the
_ensemble_ of his action, and the grace and spirit of his deportment.
It is much easier to maintain, than to restore a horse's animation;
therefore, the whip, the hand, the leg, or the voice, should do its
office a few moments before, rather than at a time, when doing so has
become indispensable. A slight motion of the fingers of the bridle hand,
serves as an excellent animation; it reminds the horse of his duty,
awakens the sensibility of his mouth, and preserves a proper
correspondence between that, and the hand. When it is necessary to
recur to animation frequently, they ought to be varied; even the whip,
if it be often used, unless with different degrees of force, will lose
its effect.