It is very useful to be able to yield with the hand and to take back delicately. It is, however, something that few people know how to do. For if a rider is able to control his left wrist well, which is the bridle hand, he will hardly need his right hand to help him bend his horse, since this is no longer the time of bending up to the shoulder. I have seen this abuse, and I have seen its downside, i.e. when a horse is working with his neck bent at the shoulder, as in times past it is impossible for him to be stable on his legs.I have seen riders who pushed the exaggeration until the horses neck was bent so much that his head came close to the riders boot. They believed to accomplish miracles that way and to be very skillful. And the public really believed them. This is why I am remarking that the majority of votes is not always the most reliable sign of the knowledge of those who declare themselves in favor of something, since in all arts there are more ignorant people than knowledgeable ones. This is mainly true for equestrian art, which all the world pretends to understand, but in reality some are less knowledgeable than others. One even sees frequently that those who understand the least think most highly of themselves. As for myself, I only regret my youth, because my old age prevents me from advancing further in the art of this noble exercise, especially since I see much similarity between it and mathematics, in which nobody can boast to have touched on perfection. The wisest men are always searching for new discoveries. Meanwhile, I have seen many young people who thought they knew everything, because they had only been working for a short time, and who thought they could not learn anything from anybody any more. Gaspard de Saunier (1663-1748)
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:30:51 +0000
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