t the requirements of the coming
drill season.

End of March, or beginning of April, bridoon inspection of the young
remounts, in which generally side-paces, collected canter, and the
canter and change, may be demanded.

Inspection of the squadron in 'Military riding' (_i.e._, with arms,
and on the curb); preparatory exercises for single combat, thrusting
at targets, regulation gallop, riding in the ranks, together with a
careful investigation of the teaching received in the school.
Inspection of all difficult horses.

Shortly before the manoeuvres, inspection of the young remounts on the
bit. Inspection of the second year remounts in 'rides' (at the same
time note their condition after the drill). Inspection of the
difficult horses.

Inspection of single combats.

If one tries, naturally with due regard to local and climatic
variations, to adapt the course of training to this plan of
inspection, and endeavours to arrange that every man, if only for a
few minutes every day, should practise lance exercises to develop his
hand and arm, that he should ride every day individually, and every
difficult horse should be taken in hand and corrected at once; that
the principles of dressing, alignment, and of wheeling, are daily
impressed on the men in the school, as I have already indicated; and,
if further, wherever it is in any way possible, the men are exercised
in boldly riding across country--for which purpose funds to cover
possible damage to crops, etc., must be provided by the
authorities--then I believe, and base my belief on the result of my
practical experience, that not only will a higher standard of training
for specifically military purposes be attained, but also a
considerable improvement in equitation.

It will be worth while here to add a few words on the methods of
training the horses I recommend, for it is precisely on this point that
ideas so often divide, and the most opposite views on this subject find
their expression in current literature. To stir up all these
controversies is not my object, but I want to state quite generally that
it is under all circumstances a downright evil to try to follow out any
theoretical system to its logical development, whether the one selected
be that of Captain Plinzner[24] or another's. We have neither such a
uniform type of horse nor sufficiently skilled riders as to be able to
employ the same method to all indiscriminately.

[Footnote 24: Captain Plinzne