comprehension and ability of any soldier, and must make a good, if not a perfect horseman of him.
Q. 5. What was the result of the practical work before the Board?
This question he left the Board to answer. All of this work was that of a master, whether he used old and thoroughly broken horses, trained, or new and unbroken animals. With his own horse he showed all the gaits and motions of the circus rider; made him walk, trot, and gallop in place and backward. In short, he showed him a thoroughly trained animal. New animals that he had never ridden before were got under control immediately, and gaited to his taste. The Board is convinced that few men are capable of arriving at the degree of perfection attained by Mr. de Bussigny, but it believes that the system is the best of any known to the Board, and that it can be applied to the Army in general with great benefit. The system was most satisfactorily illustrated to the Board by some of Mr. de Bussigny's pupils. The only system of treatment that Mr. de Bussigny used or desired to explain was one for horses broken down and not diseased, or those having deficient muscles. His entire system consists in determining exactly what muscles needed increasing, diminishing, or treating, and then by proper gymnastic exercises correcting the defect. Several horses under treatment were shown and the results to be obtained were explained. The methods were certainly ingenious, and would probably be attended with success, but the Board did not remain long enough to witness any thorough accomplishment of his purpose. Mr. de Bussigny's only idea is to strengthen and develop the weakened or stiffened parts by a system of flexions and exercises, and by throwing out of use parts too highly developed, to partially paralyze them.
The subject of management is entirely considered in the preceding résumé, and may be described in a word as one of
