Of all the high Airs, Curvets are the least violent, and consequently the most easy to the Horse, inasmuch as they require nothing of the Horse but what he has done before. In reality, to make him stop readily and justly, he has been taught to take a good and true Apuy; in order to make him rise, he has been put together, and supported firm upon his Haunches; to make him advance, to make him go backward, and to make him stop, he has been made acquainted with the Aids of the Heels and Hands; so that in order to execute Curvets, nothing remains for him to do, but to learn and comprehend the Measure and Time of the Air.

Curvets are derived and drawn out of the Pesades.—We have already said that Pesades ought to be made slowly, very high before, and accompanied a little by the Haunches. Curvets are lower before, the Horse must advance, his Haunches must follow closer, and beat or mark a quicker Time; the Haunches must be bent, his Hocks be firm, his two Hind-feet advance equally at every Time, and their Action must be short quick, just, and in exact Measure and Proportion.

This Action, when suited to the Strength and Disposition of the Horse, is not only beautiful in itself, but even necessary to fix and place his Head; because this Air is, or ought to be founded, upon the true Apuy of his Mouth. It likewise lightens the Fore-part; for as it can't be perform'd unless the Horse collects his Strength upon his Haunches, it must of consequence take the Weight off from the Shoulders.

It is well known, that in working upon every Air, the Strength, the Vigour, and the Disposition of the Horse should be consider'd; the Importance of this Attention to these Qualities is sufficiently acknowledged; and it is granted and allowed, that Art serves, and can serve, to no other end than to improve and make Nature perfect.—Now it will be easy to discover to what Air a Horse should be destin'd, and to what he is most dispos'd and capable of executing, by seeing his Actions, and by the greater or less Degree of Pains which will be requisite to supple him. When you design a Horse for the Curvets, take care to chuse one, which, besides having the necessary Disposition to that Manage, will have likewise Patience enough in his Temper to perform them well.—A natural Disposition alone will not suffice; there are Horses who will present themselves to them, but being by Nature impatient of all Restraint, from the Moment that they feel any Pain or Difficulty in furnishing what you ask of them, they will disobey and deceive you in the very Instant that you thought them gain'd.—It requires much Skill to know how to begin with such Horses, and to confirm them in their Business.—Take it for a certain Truth, that you will never succeed, if your Horse is not perfectly obedient to the Hand and Heel; if he is not supple, and able to work upon one Line or Path, with Freedom and Ease; and if he is not likewise very well seated upon his Haunches in his Terre-a-Terre, which he ought to be able to execute perfectly well.

Curvets are improper, and never succeed with Horses which have bad Feet, or any Weakness or Complaint in their Hocks, whatever Powers and Qualifications they may otherwise have.—They are likewise apt to encourage a Horse that is ramingue in his Vice, and are capable of teaching one which is not so by Nature, to become ramingue, if he is not adjusted and brought to this Air with great Prudence. Indeed, Impatience and Fretfulness often make a Horse desperate when put to this Manage; and not being able to endure the Correction, nor comprehend the Aids, he betakes himself to all sorts of Defences, as well as that being confounded through Fear, he is bewilder'd, and becomes abject and jadish.—It is almost impossible to say which of these Imperfections are the most difficult to be cured.—Before you put a Horse to make Curvets, he ought to work Terre-a-Terre; and if he can do this, he ought to be able to change Hands upon one and two Lines, to go off readily, and to make a good Stop. After this he should be able to make Pesades easily, and so high before as to be held and supported in the Hand, and always make them upon a strait Line at first, and not on a Circle.—After this ask of him two or three Curvets; let him go then two or three Steps, then make two or three Curvets; and so alternately.—If you find that your Horse is well in the Hand, and that he advances regularly, is patient, and don't break his Line, but keeps even upon it, he will dress very easily, and soon; if he presses forward too much, make him curvet in the same Place, and make him often go backward.—After he has thus made two or three, demand then more of him, afterwards make him go backward, and so successively.

One sees but few Horses which in making Curvets, plant themselves well upon their Haunches and Hocks, at least that are not apt to hang back, and who beat and mark equally and smartly the Measure of the Air, and keep their Heads true and steady; for this Reason the first Lessons should be slow and gentle, making your Horse rise very high before, because the longer time the Horse is in the Air, the easier it will be to him to adjust himself upon his Haunches, and to assure his Head, and bend or gather up his Fore-legs; on the contrary, if he don't rise high before, he only beats and throws about the Dust, and shuffles his Legs, and can never assemble the different Parts of his Body and be united, as he ought to be in this Manage.

When a Horse in his first Curvets makes of himself his Beats, or Times, diligent and quick, it is to be fear'd that this is only owing to Fire and Impatience; in this Case there will be reason to suspect, that he has not Strength sufficient for this Manage, that he will soon do nothing but shuffle and throw about his Legs without rising as he ought, or else that he will become entier; but if he rises freely and sufficiently high, without being in a hurry, or stiffening himself, and bends his Hocks, it will then be very easy to shorten, reduce, and adjust the Measure of his Air, and to make it perfect in proportion to his Resolution, his Strength, and Activity.—If when you are going to raise him, he rises suddenly of himself, consider whether this hasty Action be not a Proof likewise of what I have just now told you.

The Beauty and Perfection of the fine Airs when neatly executed, and their Time just and true, don't consist so much in the Diligence and Quickness with which the Horse brings his Hind-feet to the Ground and makes his Beats; for if that were the Proof, the Horse would not have sufficient Time to raise his Fore-part, and to gather his Fore-legs under him; but the true Measure, and the Harmony of his Time, is when the Hind-feet follow smoothly, and answer immediately to the Fore-feet, and that these rise again in the Instant that the others touch the Ground.

To teach a Horse to beat his Curvets neatly, and in an equal Time and Measure, take care to keep him in a good and just Apuy; keep yourself strait and well stretch'd down in the Saddle, but without any Stiffness, preserving always a certain Ease and Freedom, which is the Characteristic of an Horseman: let your Hand be about three Fingers Breadth above the Pommel of the Saddle, and a little forward or advanced, keeping your Nails up, and be diligent and ready to raise your Horse; when you do this, put your Body a little forward, but so as not to let it be perceived: above all put no Stress in your Legs, but let them be easy and loose, they will catch the Time of themselves better than you can give it. I am now speaking of an high-drest and perfect Horse, who works with the greatest Exactness; for if he was to break the Line, to throw himself from one Side to the other, refuse to advance, or not to lift his Legs, you would then be obliged to give the Aids in proportion to his Understanding and Feeling.

It is not requisite that a Horse should be absolutely perfect in Curvets strait forward, before you put him to make them upon Voltes. By being accustom'd to make them strait forward, when he is put to do them differently, he would feel a fresh Constraint; in this Case he might break and perplex his Air in the Action of turning, he would falsify the Volte, and perhaps fall into many Disorders; it is therefore right, as soon as he is grounded a little in Curvets strait forwards, to begin to teach him the Time and the Proportions of the Volte.

Walk him then upon a Volte that is sufficiently large, and exactly round, taking care that he walks neither too slow nor too fast, and making him bring in his Head to the Volte, so that he may acquire a Habit of looking always into the Volte, without letting his Hind-feet however go off the Line of his Fore-feet.Having thus taught him in the Walk to both Hands the Space or Ground of the Volte, let him make three Pesades, then three more, and let him make them with Patience and lightly, but without stopping. Trot him then upon the Volte, stop him without letting him rise, caress him, and begin with him again to the other Hand, and repeat the same.—When he begins to understand this Lesson, let him make two Pesades together, then let him walk as before; observe these Rules and this Method, without hurrying or pressing him; increase by degrees by the Number of Pesades, and let him walk less as he begins to work with more Ease; by these means he will soon be brought to furnish an entire Volte.

When your Horse is so far advanced as to work upon the large Voltes in this slow Manner, begin then by degrees to contract his Compass of Ground, and the Measure of the Pesades, till the Volte and the Air are reduced to their exact Proportion; preventing him by Aids and Correction from putting his Croupe out, or bringing it too much within the Volte, and taking care that he makes no wrong or aukward Action with his Head.

It is impossible that a Horse should furnish his Air high, without shortening and contracting his Body a good deal beyond his natural Posture or Make; because the Action of itself is contracted and supported on the Haunches, in such a manner that the Hind-feet must of necessity advance, and widen the Line which they made in the Walk; or else the Fore-feet must go back, and keep up the Line and Roundness of the Volte; or else that the Hind or Fore-feet keeping an equal Proportion, and answering each to each shorten it equally.—These different Effects are very essential and worth remarking.—The first Aid to be given should be with the Legs, in order to make the Horse's Fore-feet keep thro' this high Air the Line of the Volte, which he had mark'd out before in the Walk. If he goes large, or quits the Line, or abandons himself upon his Shoulders, or upon the Hand, the first Aid then should come from the Hand; this by confining will operate so as to raise him, and the Hind-feet will come upon the Line describ'd in the Passage; lastly, if the Horse is obedient, the Rider will be able to unite him both behind and before, by the usual Aids of the Hand and Heel acting together.

When a Horse walks or trots upon the Volte, he is supported in his Action by one of his Fore and one of his Hind-feet, which are both upon the Ground together, while the other two are in the Air; so that according to this Method the Line of the Fore-feet, and that of the hind, are made at the same time; but when he raises his Air and advances upon the Volte, all his Actions are changed; for then the two Fore-feet are lifted up the first, and while they are coming down, he lifts the two Hind-feet from the Ground together, to finish and continue the Beats or Time of his Air. The Fore-feet being more advanced than the hind, must necessarily come down first, and consequently the Horse can never be upon strait Lines crossing each other, as he is when he walks or trots upon the Volte. Moreover, in a high Air the Horse does not only shorten and contract his whole Action; but the better to strengthen and assist the Attitude in which he supports and goes through his Air, he opens and widens his Hind-feet, keeping them at least twice the Distance one from the other, that he did when he only walk'd or trotted upon the Volte, and by consequence describes different Lines.—There are three Actions, and three Motions, still to be consider'd in making Curvets. These are, to raise him, to support him while he is in the Air, and to make him go forwards.—To raise him, is to lift him up as it were by the Action of the Hand, and put him upon an high Air; to support, is to hinder him from bringing his Fore-part too soon to the Ground; and carrying him forward, is to raise, support, and go forward at the same time, while the Horse is off the Ground.

To make a Horse go in Curvets sideways, aid only with the Hand, keeping his Head to the Wall. For instance, to the Right, aid him chiefly with the outward Rein; that is to say, turn your Hand to the Right, for then the Left-rein, which is the outward Rein, will be shorten'd and operate upon the Shoulders so as to work them.—If they go too much, use your inner Rein, carrying your Hand out, and in such a manner that the Shoulders may go before the Croupe.—Let him make three Curvets sideways, passage him afterwards, always sideways; then let him make the same Number of Curvets sideways, and obliquely, again, and begin by little and little to diminish his Passage, and augment the Curvets, till he is able to furnish without Intervals an entire Volte of two Lines. The same Method must be followed in working to the Left, as has been prescribed for the Right. Curvets made backward are more fatiguing, and more apt to make a Horse rebel, than Curvets strait forward upon the Voltes, Demi-voltes, or sideways.—To teach him to make them backwards, you must make him go backward; afterwards put him to make three or four Curvets in the same Place, that is, without advancing.—Then make him go forward again, let him make the same Number again; and so successively till he makes them readily and without Assistance.

By Habit he will expect to be made to go backward immediately after the last Curvet: now, the Moment he has made one in the same Place, when he is making the second, seize the Moment just as he is coming down, and pull him back, marking a Time with your Hand, just as you would pull to make a Horse go backward which resisted the Hand; and this Time of the Hand being made, ease it immediately. In this Manner continue the Curvets, pulling more or less, according as he obeys or resists; observing to lessen the Times of pulling him back, and to increase the Number of the Curvets backwards.—If he drags his Haunches, that is, if the Hind-feet don't go together, but one after the other, pinch him with both Spurs; but you must put them very back, applying them with great Delicacy, and taking care that he be in the Hand when he comes down.—If with all this he continues disunited, aid on the Croupe with the Switch, turning the bigger End of it in your Hand; and this will make him work and keep his Time or Beats very exactly.To go backwards in Curvets, aid with the outward Rein, you will confine the Fore-part, and widen the Hind-legs, which ought to be at liberty, because it is with them that he leads. They are follow'd by the Fore-parts, which should keep the same Ground or Tract.—You must keep your Hand low, that the Horse may not go too high.—Let your Body be a little forward to give the greater Liberty to the Hind-legs, which are those that lead; and don't aid with your Legs, unless he drags his Haunches.—If the Horse does not unite of his own accord, you must catch the Time with your Bridle-hand, as the Horse is coming to the Ground; in that Instant, put your Hand to your Body, and so pull him back.—Let us now see how you should be placed in the Saddle, to make Curvets upon the Voltes.—Let only your outward Hip and outward Haunch be a little advanc'd; and remember to loosen always, and relax the Inside of your Knees, or your Legs from the Knees. When you intend to change to the Left, let your Hand accompany and correspond with your Right-leg, which is to operate; when you would change to the Right, let it answer to your Left-leg: Having given this Aid, replace yourself, stretch yourself down in your Saddle, take away your Legs, one or the other, forbear to aid, and let the Balance of your Body be somewhat on the Inside.

Understanding thus, and being Master of the Aids for working a Horse in Curvets strait forwards, backwards, sideways, to the Right and Left, you will be able easily to teach your Horse to make a Cross, or even dance the Saraband in this Air; but this requires as much Justness and Activity in the Horse, as Exactness and Delicacy in the Rider to be able to give the Aids, and very few Horses are able to execute all these Lessons which I have described: the utmost Efforts of Art, and the greatest Suppleness that a Horse can acquire, will be in vain, and unsuccessful, if he is not by Nature inclin'd and disposed to the Manage. That sort of Exercise which hits the Temper, and best suits the Strength of a Horse, will appear graceful, and preserve his Health; while that which is opposite to his Temper and Genius will dishearten him, make him timid and abject, and plunge him into numberless Ails and Vices.