Part 8

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._

OF all the high Airs, Curvets are the least violent, and consequently the most easy to the Horse, inasmuch as they require nothing of the Horse but what he has done before. In reality, to make him stop readily and justly, he has been taught to take a good and true Apuy; in order to make him rise, he has been put _together_, and supported firm upon his Haunches; to make him advance, to make him go backward, and to make him stop, he has been made acquainted with the Aids of the Heels and Hands; so that in order to execute Curvets, nothing remains for him to do, but to learn and comprehend the Measure and Time of the Air.

CURVETS are derived and drawn out of the Pesades.--We have already said that Pesades ought to be made slowly, very high before, and accompanied a little by the Haunches. Curvets are lower before, the Horse must advance, his Haunches must follow closer, and _beat_ or mark a quicker _Time_; the Haunches must be bent, his Hocks be firm, his two Hind-feet advance equally at every Time, and their Action must be short quick, just, and in exact Measure and Proportion.

THIS Action, when suited to the Strength and Disposition of the Horse, is not only beautiful in itself, but even necessary to fix and place his Head; because this Air is, or ought to be founded, upon the true _Apuy_ of his Mouth. It likewise lightens the Fore-part; for as it can't be perform'd unless the Horse collects his Strength upon his Haunches, it must of consequence take the Weight off from the Shoulders.

IT is well known, that in working upon every Air, the Strength, the Vigour, and the Disposition of the Horse should be consider'd; the Importance of this Attention to these Qualities is sufficiently acknowledged; and it is granted and allowed, that Art serves, and can serve, to no other end than to improve and make Nature perfect.--Now it will be easy to discover to what Air a Horse should be destin'd, and to what he is most dispos'd and capable of executing, by seeing his Actions, and by the greater or less Degree of Pains which will be requisite to supple him. When you design a Horse for the _Curvets_, take care to chuse one, which, besides having the necessary Disposition to that Manage, will have likewise Patience enough in his Temper to perform them well.--A natural Disposition alone will not suffice; there are Horses who will present themselves to them, but being by Nature impatient of all Restraint, from the Moment that they feel any Pain or Difficulty in furnishing what you ask of them, they will disobey and deceive you in the very Instant that you thought them gain'd.--It requires much Skill to know how to begin with such Horses, and to confirm them in their Business.--Take it for a certain Truth, that you will never succeed, if your Horse is not perfectly obedient to the Hand and Heel; if he is not supple, and able to work upon one Line or Path, with Freedom and Ease; and if he is not likewise very well seated upon his Haunches in his _Terre-a-Terre_, which he ought to be able to execute perfectly well.

CURVETS are improper, and never succeed with Horses which have bad Feet, or any Weakness or Complaint in their Hocks, whatever Powers and Qualifications they may otherwise have.--They are likewise apt to encourage a Horse that is _ramingue_ in his Vice, and are capable of teaching one which is not so by Nature, to become _ramingue_, if he is not adjusted and brought to this Air with great Prudence. Indeed, Impatience and Fretfulness often make a Horse desperate when put to this Manage; and not being able to endure the Correction, nor comprehend the Aids, he betakes himself to all sorts of Defences, as well as that being confounded through Fear, he is bewilder'd, and becomes abject and jadish.--It is almost impossible to say which of these Imperfections are the most difficult to be cured.--Before you put a Horse to make _Curvets_, he ought to work _Terre-a-Terre_; and if he can do this, he ought to be able to change Hands upon _one_ and _two Lines_, to go off readily, and to make a good Stop. After this he should be able to make Pesades easily, and so high before as to be held and supported in the Hand, and always make them upon a strait Line at first, and not on a Circle.--After this ask of him two or three _Curvets_; let him go then two or three Steps, then make two or three _Curvets_; and so alternately.--If you find that your Horse is well in the Hand, and that he advances regularly, is patient, and don't break his Line, but keeps even upon it, he will dress very easily, and soon; if he presses forward too much, make him curvet in the same Place, and make him often go backward.--After he has thus made two or three, demand then more of him, afterwards make him go backward, and so successively.

ONE sees but few Horses which in making Curvets, plant themselves well upon their Haunches and Hocks, at least that are not apt to hang back, and who beat and mark equally and smartly the Measure of the Air, and keep their Heads true and steady; for this Reason the first Lessons should be slow and gentle, making your Horse rise very high before, because the longer time the Horse is in the Air, the easier it will be to him to adjust himself upon his Haunches, and to assure his Head, and bend or _gather up_ his Fore-legs; on the contrary, if he don't rise high before, he only beats and throws about the Dust, and shuffles his Legs, and can never assemble the different Parts of his Body and be united, as he ought to be in this Manage.

WHEN a Horse in his first Curvets makes of himself his Beats, or Times, diligent and quick, it is to be fear'd that this is only owing to Fire and Impatience; in this Case there will be reason to suspect, that he has not Strength sufficient for this Manage, that he will soon do nothing but shuffle and throw about his Legs without rising as he ought, or else that he will become _entier_; but if he rises freely and sufficiently high, without being in a hurry, or stiffening himself, and bends his Hocks, it will then be very easy to shorten, reduce, and adjust the Measure of his Air, and to make it perfect in proportion to his Resolution, his Strength, and Activity.--If when you are going to raise him, he rises suddenly of himself, consider whether this hasty Action be not a Proof likewise of what I have just now told you.

THE Beauty and Perfection of the fine Airs when neatly executed, and their Time just and true, don't consist so much in the Diligence and Quickness with which the Horse brings his Hind-feet to the Ground and makes his _Beats_; for if that were the Proof, the Horse would not have sufficient Time to raise his Fore-part, and to gather his Fore-legs under him; but the true Measure, and the Harmony of his _Time_, is when the Hind-feet follow smoothly, and answer immediately to the Fore-feet, and that these rise again in the Instant that the others touch the Ground.

TO teach a Horse to _beat_ his _Curvets_ neatly, and in an equal _Time_ and _Measure_, take care to keep him in a good and just _Apuy_; keep yourself strait and well stretch'd down in the Saddle, but without any Stiffness, preserving always a certain Ease and Freedom, which is the Characteristic of an Horseman: let your Hand be about three Fingers Breadth above the Pommel of the Saddle, and a little forward or advanced, keeping your Nails up, and be diligent and ready to raise your Horse; when you do this, put your Body a little forward, but so as not to let it be perceived: above all put no Stress in your Legs, but let them be easy and loose, they will catch the _Time_ of themselves better than you can give it. I am now speaking of an high-drest and perfect Horse, who works with the greatest Exactness; for if he was to break the Line, to throw himself from one Side to the other, refuse to advance, or not to lift his Legs, you would then be obliged to give the Aids in proportion to his Understanding and Feeling.

IT is not requisite that a Horse should be absolutely perfect in Curvets strait forward, before you put him to make them upon _Voltes_. By being accustom'd to make them strait forward, when he is put to do them differently, he would feel a fresh Constraint; in this Case he might break and perplex his Air in the Action of turning, he would falsify the _Volte_, and perhaps fall into many Disorders; it is therefore right, as soon as he is grounded a little in Curvets strait forwards, to begin to teach him the _Time_ and the Proportions of the _Volte_.

WALK him then upon a _Volte_ that is sufficiently large, and exactly round, taking care that he walks neither too slow nor too fast, and making him bring _in_ his Head to the _Volte_, so that he may acquire a Habit of looking always into the _Volte_, without letting his Hind-feet however go off the Line of his Fore-feet.

HAVING thus taught him in the Walk to both Hands the Space or Ground of the _Volte_, let him make three _Pesades_, then three more, and let him make them with Patience and lightly, but without stopping. Trot him then upon the _Volte_, stop him without letting him rise, caress him, and begin with him again to the other Hand, and repeat the same.--When he begins to understand this Lesson, let him make two _Pesades_ together, then let him walk as before; observe these Rules and this Method, without hurrying or pressing him; increase by degrees by the Number of _Pesades_, and let him walk less as he begins to work with more Ease; by these means he will soon be brought to furnish an entire _Volte_.

WHEN your Horse is so far advanced as to work upon the large _Voltes_ in this slow Manner, begin then by degrees to contract his Compass of Ground, and the Measure of the Pesades, till the _Volte_ and the _Air_ are reduced to their exact Proportion; preventing him by Aids and Correction from putting his Croupe _out_, or bringing it too much _within_ the _Volte_, and taking care that he makes no wrong or aukward Action with his Head.

IT is impossible that a Horse should furnish his Air high, without shortening and contracting his Body a good deal beyond his natural Posture or Make; because the Action of itself is contracted and supported on the Haunches, in such a manner that the Hind-feet must of necessity advance, and widen the Line which they made in the Walk; or else the Fore-feet must go back, and keep up the Line and Roundness of the _Volte_; or else that the Hind or Fore-feet keeping an equal Proportion, and answering each to each shorten it equally.--These different Effects are very essential and worth remarking.--The first Aid to be given should be with the Legs, in order to make the Horse's Fore-feet keep thro' this high Air the Line of the _Volte_, which he had mark'd out before in the Walk. If he goes large, or quits the Line, or abandons himself upon his Shoulders, or upon the Hand, the first Aid then should come from the Hand; this by confining will operate so as to raise him, and the Hind-feet will come upon the Line describ'd in the Passage; lastly, if the Horse is obedient, the Rider will be able to unite him both behind and before, by the usual Aids of the Hand and Heel acting together.

WHEN a Horse walks or trots upon the _Volte_, he is supported in his Action by one of his Fore and one of his Hind-feet, which are both upon the Ground together, while the other two are in the Air; so that according to this Method the Line of the Fore-feet, and that of the hind, are made at the same time; but when he raises his Air and advances upon the _Volte_, all his Actions are changed; for then the two Fore-feet are lifted up the first, and while they are coming down, he lifts the two Hind-feet from the Ground together, to finish and continue the _Beats_ or _Time_ of his Air. The Fore-feet being more advanced than the hind, must necessarily come down first, and consequently the Horse can never be upon strait Lines crossing each other, as he is when he walks or trots upon the _Volte_. Moreover, in a high Air the Horse does not only shorten and contract his whole Action; but the better to strengthen and assist the Attitude in which he supports and goes through his Air, he opens and widens his Hind-feet, keeping them at least twice the Distance one from the other, that he did when he only walk'd or trotted upon the _Volte_, and by consequence describes different Lines.--There are three Actions, and three Motions, still to be consider'd in making _Curvets_. These are, to raise him, to support him while he is in the Air, and to make him go forwards.--To raise him, is to lift him up as it were by the Action of the Hand, and put him upon an high Air; to support, is to hinder him from bringing his Fore-part too soon to the Ground; and carrying him forward, is to raise, support, and go forward at the same time, while the Horse is off the Ground.

TO make a Horse go in _Curvets_ sideways, aid only with the Hand, keeping his Head to the Wall. For instance, to the Right, aid him chiefly with the outward Rein; that is to say, turn your Hand to the Right, for then the Left-rein, which is the outward Rein, will be shorten'd and operate upon the Shoulders so as to work them.--If they go too much, use your inner Rein, carrying your Hand _out_, and in such a manner that the Shoulders may go before the Croupe.--Let him make three _Curvets_ sideways, passage him afterwards, always sideways; then let him make the same Number of _Curvets_ sideways, and obliquely, again, and begin by little and little to diminish his _Passage_, and augment the _Curvets_, till he is able to furnish without Intervals an entire _Volte_ of two Lines. The same Method must be followed in working to the Left, as has been prescribed for the Right. _Curvets_ made backward are more fatiguing, and more apt to make a Horse rebel, than _Curvets_ strait forward upon the _Voltes_, _Demi-voltes_, or _sideways_.--To teach him to make them backwards, you must make him go backward; afterwards put him to make three or four _Curvets_ in the same Place, that is, without advancing.--Then make him go forward again, let him make the same Number again; and so successively till he makes them readily and without Assistance.

BY Habit he will expect to be made to go backward immediately after the last _Curvet_: now, the Moment he has made one in the same Place, when he is making the second, seize the Moment just as he is coming down, and pull him back, marking a _Time_ with your Hand, just as you would pull to make a Horse go backward which resisted the Hand; and this _Time_ of the Hand being made, ease it immediately. In this Manner continue the _Curvets_, pulling more or less, according as he obeys or resists; observing to lessen the Times of pulling him back, and to increase the Number of the _Curvets_ backwards.--If he drags his Haunches, that is, if the Hind-feet don't go together, but one after the other, pinch him with both Spurs; but you must put them very back, applying them with great Delicacy, and taking care that he be in the Hand when he comes down.--If with all this he continues _disunited_, aid on the Croupe with the Switch, turning the bigger End of it in your Hand; and this will make him work and keep his _Time_ or _Beats_ very exactly.