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CHAP. XIX.
Of Croupades and Balotades
The Croupade is a Leap, in which the Horse draws up his Hinder-legs as if he meant to shorten and truss them up under his Belly.
The Balotade is likewise a Leap, in which the Horse seems as if he intended to kick out, but without doing it; he only offers or makes a half Kick, shewing only the Shoes of his Hind-feet.
The Horses that are destin'd to these Airs ought to have a light and steady Mouth, and an active and lively Disposition, with clean and nervous Strength; for all the Art and Knowledge of the Horseman can never confer these Qualities, which are essentially necessary to the Perfection of this Manage.
The Croupades and Balotades are different from Curvets, inasmuch as that they are much higher behind, and consequently their Time and Measure not so quick and close, but slower and more extended. Therefore the Rider should keep his Horse's Croupe ready and in awe, by striking it from time to time with the Switch, supporting him not quite so high before, and observing to aid with his Legs slower, and not so forward, as in the Curvets.
As the Perfection of Curvets, both upon the Voltes and strait forwards, is owing to the Ease and Justness of the Pesades, the Goodness of Croupades and Balotades depends likewise upon the same Rules. Your Horse being made light before by the means of Pesades and Curvets, begin by making him rise, as well before as behind, less however in the first Lessons than afterwards; for you will never bring him to the true Pitch, were you to exhaust all his Strength at once, since while he is prest and compell'd to put forth all his Strength, he will never be able to catch and mark the Time, the Cadence, and the just Beats of his Air, both behind and before.
I have already said, that the Croupades and the Balotades are higher than the Curvets, they nevertheless partake of it; for though a Horse that makes Balotades, makes the Measure of each Time as high behind as before, yet he follows the Beat of his Fore-feet with that of his Hind-feet, the same as in Curvets; for this Reason, a Horse that is intended for the Croupades and Balotades, ought to be more active, light, and strong than one that is to be drest for Curvets, as he should have less Strength than one who is put to make Caprioles strait forwards, or on Voltes of one Line, and to repeat them in the same Place.
To manage the Strength and Vigour of the Horse you intend to work upon the Voltes in Croupades and Balotades, let the Line of the Volte be larger than for Curvets, and let the Action of the Shoulders not be quite so high; thus you will not only check and confine his Activity and Lightness; but by raising his Shoulders in a less Degree, you will give Liberty to his Croupe, and he will be enabled by this Method to furnish his Airs all together, that is before and behind, better, and with more Ease; there is still another Reason for this, for when the Shoulders come to the Ground from too great a Height, the Shock alarms and disorders the Mouth; and then the Horse losing the Steadiness of his Apuy, he never will raise his Croupe so high as he ought, to make perfect Balotades.
CHAP. XX.
Of Caprioles
There is no such Thing as an universal Horse; that is, as a Horse who works equally well upon all Airs, the Terre-a-Terre, the Curvets, Mezair, Croupades, Balotades, and Caprioles, each Horse having a particular Disposition, which inclines to some certain Air which suits him best. A Horse that is naturally inclin'd to the high Airs, ought to be managed with great Gentleness and Patience; inasmuch as he will be in greater Danger of being disgusted and spoil'd, as his Disposition to the high Airs is owing generally to the Gaiety and Sprightliness of his Temper; and as such Tempers are usually averse to Subjection, Constraint and Correction, Rigour and Severity would make him become timid and angry, and then he could not attend to and catch the Time, Order, and Measure of the high Airs; therefore if you would reduce him to the Justness of the high Airs, and teach him their Harmony and Measure, you must not expect to succeed by any other ways than by giving your Instructions with great Patience and Judgment, and soon or late he will be gain'd.
The Feet are the Foundations upon which all the high Airs, if I may use the Word, are built. They ought then to be attended to very strictly; for if your Horse has any Pain, Weakness, or other Defect in his Feet, he will be so much the more improper to leap, as the Pain which he must feel when he comes to the Ground, would shoot quite to his Brain.
As a Proof of this, when a Horse whose Feet are bad or tender trots upon the Stones, or hard Ground, you will see him shut his Eyes, drop his Head at each Step, and shake his Tail from very Pain.
The Capriole is the most violent of the high Airs. To make it perfect, the Horse is to raise his Fore-parts and his Hinder to an equal Height; and when he strikes out behind, his Croupe should be upon a Level with his Withers. In rising and in coming down his Head and Mouth should be quite steady and firm, and he should present his Forehead quite strait. – When he rises, his Fore-legs should be bent under him a good deal, and equally. When he strikes out with his Hind-legs, he ought to do it nervously, and with all his Force; and his two Feet should be even, of an equal Height, and their Action the same when he strikes out: lastly, the Horse should at every Leap fall a Foot and a half, or the Space of two Feet distance from the Spot from which he rose. – I don't assert, that in order to make Caprioles a Horse must necessarily pass through Curvets and Balotades; for there are Horses who are naturally more light and active in their Loins than strong, and who are brought to leap with more Difficulty, than to the other Airs in which their Strength must be much more united, and their Disposition attended to; but yet it is certain, that if the Horse is brought to rise by Degrees, and is work'd in the intermediate Airs, before he undertakes the Caprioles, he will not weaken and strain himself so much, and will be sooner confirm'd in his Lesson than one who begins at once with the Caprioles.
Having thus explain'd to Demonstration the Motions of a Horse, when he makes a perfect Capriole, you may hence gather that they have an Effect directly opposite to that of Curvets and Pesades. – These two Airs are proper to assure the Head of the Horse, and to make it light, and this by so much the more as the principal Action depends upon the Haunches, and a moderate Apuy of the Mouth; but Caprioles are apt to give too great an Apuy, because the Horse when he makes the strongest Action of his Air, that is, when he strikes out as he is coming to the Ground, is entirely supported by the Hand; therefore before he is put to leap, he ought to have a perfect Apuy, and his Shoulders should at least be suppled and lighten'd by having made Pesades; and he should be without Fear, Anger, or any kind of Uneasiness, because, as I have already said, by leaping he learns to know his own Strength and Power; and he may put it to bad Purposes to free himself from Obedience, and indulge his Caprice and Ill-humour. Some Horses have a Disposition to this Air, and sufficient Strength to go through it; yet have their Mouth so delicate, sensible, and averse to the Hand, that you can't support them without hindering them from advancing; hence it follows that their Action before is cold and slow, and never sufficiently high, and they can't be carried forward when they raise their Croupe and strike out; and it is impossible to keep them firm as they come down. To remedy this, begin their Lesson upon the Trot, and press them in it so smartly as to make them often go into the Gallop; observe a Medium however in order to save their Strength and Vigour, that they may furnish as many Leaps as is requisite to the Perfection of the Air. Do the same with a Horse that has too much Strength, and who retains and avails himself it, so as not to make his Leaps freely and readily; by this means you will abate his superfluous Vigour, which serves only to disunite and make him troublesome.
It is usual to supple a Horse that is light in the Hand by means of the Trot, before you teach him to leap: but a contrary Method must be observed with those which are heavy and clumsey, or that are heavy in the Hand. Gallop and trot them, and when they are made obedient and drest to the Caprioles, their Apuy in leaping will grow by degrees lighter and more temperate. The Exercise of the Trot and Gallop will take away all Fear of the Aids and Corrections, and the Day following they will present themselves more freely and willingly. With respect to the Horse who pulls or wants to force the Hand, don't try to correct him by making him go backward, because by working upon his Bars too much with the Bit, you would make them become hard and insensible; but compel him to make some Caprioles with his Face to the Wall, and keep him up to it closer or further off, as you find him heavy, or endeavouring to force the Hand; by these Methods you will constrain him to shorten his Leaps, and give more Attention to his Business. If he abandons himself, or bears too hard upon the Hand, hold him firm at the End of his Leap; and in the Instant that his Feet are coming to the Ground, yield it immediately to him, and he will abandon himself much less upon the Bit. – If he retains himself, and hangs back, easing your Hand to him alone will not be sufficient; but to make him advance you must push him up to his Bit, by aiding him briskly and in Time with your Legs.
To dress a Horse to the Caprioles, the Pillars may be employ'd, or they may be dispens'd with: let us explain the Rules we should follow with respect to both these Methods.
It is certain that the Pillars are of use in putting a Horse to this Air. – Tie him to them, make him keep up to his Bit properly, or what is call'd fill up the Cords, and endeavour by little and little to make him rise before, taking care to make him bend his Knees, and gather up his Legs as much as you possibly can. For this purpose use your Switch briskly; for if you can teach him to bend his Legs well, his Manage will be infinitely more beautiful; as well as that he will be much lighter in the Hand.
Having thus gain'd the Fore-part, put him in the Pillars again, making the Cords somewhat shorter in order to make him raise his Croupe from the Ground, and yerk out equally at the same time with both his Hind-legs, which you must teach him to do, by attacking and striking him upon the Croupe with the Switch or Chambriere.
When he is so far advanced as to rise before, and lash out behind, it will be proper to teach him to unite these two Times, and perform them together. – Let him then be mounted, and always in the Pillars; let the Rider support him in the Hand, and try to make him make one or two Leaps, without hanging upon the Cords of the Caveson, in order that he may learn to take a just Apuy, and to feel it. As soon as he begins to know and obey the Hand, he should be aided gently with the Calves of the Legs, should be supported, and you should pinch him delicately and finely with both Spurs. If he answers once or twice to these Aids, without losing his Temper, or being angry, you will have great Reason to expect that he will soon furnish his Leaps equally and justly with respect to the Hand and Heel.
Having brought him thus far between the Pillars, walk him strait forward for a certain Space, and if he don't offer to rise of himself, try to make him. If he himself takes the right Time, seize the Moment, avail yourself of it, and make him make two or three Caprioles, or one or two, according as you judge it necessary; by letting him walk thus calmly and quietly, in a short time he will of himself begin to make Caprioles strait forward; but in case he should discover any Signs of Resistance to the Hand or Heel, or the other Aids, immediately have recourse to the Caveson and Pillars.
This is in short the Method of adjusting and dressing a Horse for Caprioles by the means of the Pillars. – A Method extremely dangerous in itself, and capable of spoiling and making a Horse become desperate and ungovernable, if it is not practised by Persons of the most consummate Skill and Experience.
The Method which I prefer is indeed more difficult and painful to the Horse, but more perfect and sure.
The Horse having been well exercised in Pesades, walk him strait forward, keeping him together, and supporting him so as to hold and keep him in the Hand, but not to such a degree as to stop him entirely. After this strike him gently with the End of the Switch upon his Croupe and Buttocks, and continue to do it till he lifts up his Croupe, and kicks. – You should then caress him, and let him walk some Steps, and then attack him again, not minding to make him rise before, nor hindering him from it, if he offers so to do. Remember to encourage and coax him every time that he answers to the Aids, and obeys. – Being thus acquainted with the Aid of the Switch, put him to make Pesades of a moderate Height strait forward, and at the second or third, attack him behind with your Switch to make him lash out. If he obeys, make him rise before again in the Minute that his Hind-legs come to the Ground, in order to make him furnish two or three more Pesades, to work his Haunches. After this coax and caress him without letting him stir from the Place, if his Apuy be firm and good; and in case it is hard, make him go backward, or if it is light and just, letting him advance quietly and slowly.
To enable him to make his Leaps just, and to know the exact Time of making them, you should no longer regard what Number of Pesades he makes before or after his Leap, but in the Moment that you feel him ready and prepar'd, and whilst he is in the Pesade, aid him briskly behind, letting him in the Beginning not rise so high before, when you intend he should yerk out behind, as you would were he only to make a Pesade, that so his Croupe may be more at liberty, and he may yerk out with greater Ease; in proportion as his Croupe becomes light and active, you may raise his Fore-parts higher and higher, and support him while in the Air, till he makes his Leaps true and in just Proportion.
When you have sufficiently practised these Lessons, you may retrench by degrees the Number of the Pesades which separated and divided the Leaps. You may demand now of him two Leaps together; from these you may come, with Patience and Discretion, to three, from three to four Leaps; and lastly, to as many as he can furnish in the same Air, and with equal Strength. Remember always to make him finish upon his Haunches, it is the only sure way to prevent all the Disorders a Horse may be guilty of from Impatience and Fear.
There are some Horses who will leap very high, and with great Agility strait forwards, which when put to leap upon the Voltes, lose all their natural Grace and Beauty; the Reason is, that they fail for Want of Strength, and are not equal to the Task, in which all their Motions are forced and constrain'd.
If you find a Horse who has a good and firm Apuy, and who has Strength sufficient to furnish this Air upon the Voltes; begin with him by making him know the Space and Roundness of the Volte to each Hand; let him walk round it in a slow and distinct Pace, keeping his Croupe very much press'd and confin'd upon the Line of the Volte, which ought to be much larger for this Air than for Croupades and Balotades.
This being done, make him rise, and let him make one or two Caprioles, follow'd by as many Pesades; then walk on two or three Steps upon the same Line; then raise him again, supporting him more and more, and keeping him even on the Line of the Volte, so that it may be exactly round, and confining his Croupe with your outward Leg.
If this Lesson be given with Judgment, your Horse will soon make all the Volte, in the same Air; and to make him furnish a second, as soon as he has closed and finish'd the first, raise him again, and without letting him stop get from him as many as you can, working him always upon this Volte, in which he walks and leaps alternatively, till he closes and ends it with the same Vigour and Resolution as he did the first.
Aid always with the outward Rein, either upon the Voltes, or when you leap strait forwards, you will narrow and confine the Fore-parts, and enlarge the Hind-parts, by which means the Croupe will not be press'd, but free and unconstrain'd.
I will enlarge no further upon his Chapter; for what regards the making Caprioles upon the Voltes, you may look back to what has been already said on the Subject of Curvets: remember that the surest way to succeed, when you undertake to dress a Horse to Caprioles, is to arm yourself with a Patience that nothing can subdue or shake; and to prefer for this purpose such Horses as have a Disposition, are active, light, and have a clean sinewy Strength, to such as are endowed with greater Strength and Force; for these last never leap regularly, and are fit for nothing but to break their Riders Backs, and make them spit Blood, by their irregular, violent, and unexpected Motions.
CHAP. XXI.
Of the Step and Leap
The Step and Leap is composed of three Airs; of the Step, which is the Action of the Terre-a-Terre; the rising before, which is a Curvet; and the Leap, which is a Capriole.
This Manage is infinitely less painful to a Horse than that of the Capriole; for when you dress a Horse to the Capriole, he will of himself take this Air for his Ease and Relief; and in time those Horses, which have been drest to the Caprioles, will execute only Balotades and Croupades, unless particular Care is taken to make them yerk out.
It is this likewise, which, next to running a brisk Course, enlivens and animates a Horse most. – To reduce a Horse to the Justness of this Air, you must begin by emboldening and making him lose all fear of Correction; teaching him to keep his Head steady, and in a proper Place; lightening His Fore-parts, by putting him to make Pesades; teaching him to know the Aids of the Switch, the same as in the Lesson of the Caprioles; and by giving him a firm and good Apuy, full in the Hand: though it is certain, that the Step contributes to give him this Apuy, inasmuch as that it puts him in the Hand; besides that it gives him Strength and Agility to leap, just as we ourselves leap with a quicker Spring while running, than if we were to stand quite still and leap; therefore most old Horses generally fall into this Air.
When your Horse is sufficiently knowing in these several Particulars, teach him to rise, and support or hold him in the Air; then let him make four Pesades, and afterwards let him walk four or five Steps slow and equal; if he forces the Hand, or retains himself too much, he should be made to trot these four or five Steps rather than walk; after this make him rise again, and continue this Lesson for some Days.
When he is so far advanced as to comprehend and understand this sufficiently, begin by putting him to make a Pesade, demand then a Leap, and finish by letting him make two Pesades together. There are two things to be observ'd, which are very essential in this Lesson; one, that when he is to make the Leap he should not rise so high before as when he makes Pesades only, that so he may yerk out with greater Ease and Liberty; the other Caution is always to make your last Pesade longer and higher than the other, in order to prevent your Horse from making any irregular Motions by shuffling about his Legs, if he should be angry and impatient, as well as to keep him in a more exact Obedience; and to make him light, if he is naturally heavy and loaded in his Fore-parts, or apt to lean too much upon the Hand.
Again, reduce the fourth Pesade into a Leap, as you did the first; then make two Pesades following, and after this let him walk quietly four or five Steps, that he may make again the same Number of Pesades, and in the same Order. In proportion as the Horse begins to understand, and is able to execute these Lessons, you should augment likewise the Leaps one by one, without hurrying or changing the Order, making always between the Leaps a single Pesade, but lower than those in the first Lesson; and then two more again after the last Leap, sufficiently high. By degrees the Horse will grow active and light in his Hind-parts, you must raise him then higher before, and support him longer in the Air, in order to make him form the Leaps perfect, by means of prudent and judicious Rules, often practised and repeated. If your Horse forces the Hand, or presses forward more than you would have him, either from Heaviness of Make, or from having too much Fire in his Temper; in this case you should oblige him to make the Pesades in the same Place, without stirring from it; and instead of letting him advance four or five Steps, you should make him go backwards as many. This Correction will cure him of the Habit of pressing forward, and forcing the Hand. Upon this Occasion likewise you should use a Hand-spur to prick his Croupe, instead of a Switch.
To make this Air just and perfect, it is necessary that the Action of the Leap be finish'd as in the Caprioles, except that it ought to be more extended, and the Pesade which is made between the two Leaps should be changed into a Time of a quick and short Gallop; that is, the two Hind-feet ought to follow the Fore-feet, together in a quick Time and briskly, as in Curvets in the Mezair; but in this the Horse should advance more, not be so much together, nor rise so high.
The Perfection of this Time of the Gallop depends upon the Justness of the Horseman's Motions. – They ought to be infinitely more exact in this Lesson, than in the Caprioles, or any other Airs, which are performed strait forward.
In reality, if the Horseman is too slow, and don't catch the exact Time which parts the two Leaps, the Leap which follows will be without any Spring or Vigour, because the Animal so restrain'd and held back, can never extend himself, or put forth his Strength; if he don't support and raise his Shoulders sufficiently high, the Croupe will then be higher than it ought to be; and this Disproportion will force the Horse to toss up his Nose, or make some other bad Motion with his Head as he is coming to the Ground in his Leap; or else it will happen that the succeeding Time will be so precipitate, that the next Leap will be false and imperfect, as the Horse will not be sufficiently united, but will be too heavy and lean upon the Hand. – If he is not together, the Leap will be too much extended, and consequently weak and loose, because the Horse will not be able to collect his Strength, in order to make it equal to the first.
Learn then in a few Words what should be the Horseman's Seat, and what Actions he should use in this Lesson.
He should never force, alter, or lose the true Apuy, either in raising, supporting, holding in, or driving forward his Horse. – His Head should be not only firm and steady, but it is indispensably necessary that his Seat should be exactly strait and just; for since the Arm is an Appendix of the Body, it is certain that if the Motions of the Horse shake or disorder the Body of the Rider, the Bridle-hand must inevitably be shook, and consequently the true Apuy destroy'd.
In this Attitude then approach the Calves of your Legs, support and hold your Horse up with your Hand, and when the Fore-part is at its due Height, aid with the Switch upon the Croupe.
If your Horse rises before, keep your Body strait and firm; if he lifts or tosses up his Croupe, or yerks out, fling your Shoulders back without turning your Head to one side or the other, continuing the Action of the Hand that holds the Switch.
Remember that all the Motions of your Body should be so neat and fine as to be imperceptible; as to what is the most graceful Action for the Switch-hand, that over the Shoulder is thought the best; but then this Shoulder must not be more back than the other; and care must be taken that the Motion be quick and neat, and that the Horse do not see it so plainly as to be alarm'd.
I have said, that when the Horse made his Leaps too long and extended, you should then aid with your Hand-spur; and for this Reason, because the Hand-spur will make the Horse raise his Croupe without advancing, as the Effect of the Switch will be to raise the Croupe, and drive the Horse forward at the same time; it should therefore be used to such Horses as retain themselves.
Remember that you should never be extreme with your Horse, and work him beyond his Strength and Ability; indeed one should never ask of a Horse above half of what he can do; for if you work him till he grows languid and tired, and his Strength and Wind fail him, you will be compell'd to give your Aids roughly and openly; and when that happens, neither the Rider or the Horse can appear with Brilliancy and Grace.
