only aggravate the animal's resistance. On the contrary, our attack on him should be somewhat brutal, so that he may immediately feel that his strength must yield to superior force. Here the real difficulty is to have the pluck to attack vigorously. Very few people make up their minds to do this, in which is the only means of security ; because the horse, astonished at the brutality of the attack, will submit, although, if lightly tickled with the spur, he will increase his resistance, and will soon get the best of his rider.

It is evident that whereas the attack should be vigorous, it should be made in as rational a way as practicable, that is to say, in a manner which will overcome the horse's defence by "oppositions."^[1] But, I repeat, the chief thing above all others is the vigour, the energy of the rider. As regards myself, once in the struggle, I pay little heed to lateral or diagonal equitation. I don't care if I increase the commotion ; my great point is to be master, and to make the horse understand that his defence is in vain. To achieve this grand result, when a horse contents himself by merely indicating a resistance, I do not hesitate to provoke him to carry it out fully, so as to bring him to reason. Here is the true secret of breaking, namely, to obtain the absolute submission of the horse. A horse's breaking is not definitely completed if he has made no show of resistance, because there may be struggles for supremacy in the future. The object of breaking is the destruction of the free will of the horse. As long as a breaker hesitates to provoke struggles which he feels are close at hand, and which he knows are inevitable, his breaking is not complete.

We must also say, in a general way, that the tact of the