According to this system, it is necessary when turning to the right at the canter to use a stronger pressure of the right leg, in order for the horse to lead with his off fore ; and the left leg, in order to turn to the right. The inconsistency is so evident, that it is sufficient to merely point it out. Everyone knows that if a horse has learned to canter with the near fore leading, by means of the support of the left leg, the effect will be to make him change his leg, and not to turn to the right.

I think it is useless to describe the means by which we make a horse lead with his near fore, because they are naturally the opposite ones to those which we have just described. We ought always to begin the canter with the off fore^[1] leading, and for this object we ought to make the horse circle to the right in the riding school. I never ask the horse to lead with the near fore until I can readily make him canter freely with the off fore leading. This is a matter of a few days, the number of which we cannot exactly fix. Some horses easily lead with the off fore, but others find this difficult to do, although they may be very clever at starting with the near fore leading.

Horses are like men — some are naturally and by habit right-handed, and others are left-handed. It seems probable that some horses are naturally right-footed ; because, if we did not take account of contracted habits, all horses would be left-footed.

In fact, when we lead a horse by the bridle on foot, we always keep on his left side, which is also the side on which we feed, saddle, and bridle him. As the horse likes to take notice of what goes on around him, the left is the side towards which he constantly turns his head, and consequently he ought to be more supple to the left than to the right ; but he