The rider ought to be able to easily make his horse go from one of these paces into another.

The horse ought to be able to lead equally well with either fore leg. Ability to change the leg is of great use, when riding in the open, so as to be able to readily turn to either side. It is not, however, indispensable if the rider takes care to stop at the moment of turning, and to start off on the leg of the side to which the turn is made.

It is of the utmost necessity that the horse readily yields to the legs, so that we can place his haunches as we like at all paces. When a rider passes or crosses another rider, he should be able to direct the movements of the hind quarters with his legs at the same time as he does those of the fore hand with his hands, so that he may guide the horse as a whole and not in parts. If, for instance, the hands pull the forehand to the right, and the haunches are allowed to swing round to the left, the horse will be put crossways, which is just the thing he ought not to be made to do. In this way the rider may get thrown off, or the man who passes by him may get kicked.

If a horse obeys the legs properly, we can easily, at all three paces, approach or leave one or more riders. When we are all together, obedience to both legs will enable us to leave the others, and, keeping the horse in hand, to let them pass us, if such is our wish.

There is extreme pleasure in riding a well-broken hot horse.^[1]

Nothing is more agreeable than to work a horse in the open. Flexions, diagonal effects, two tracks, the rassembler, starting into the canter with the off fore and near fore leading, and other fine points of horsemanship, keep us on the alert, and make the time pass quickly when hacking.