"It is my increasing opinion for reasons easy to understand that the purpose of military equitation is to train men and horses in the shortest amount of time possible, to obtain from them maximum effectiveness and maximum speed in a way that promotes the temperament and physique of both and to do so with less waste of resources.

    Horses above all else must be trained to military purposes as it is the intent that cavalry is to be used in actions of war: both horse and rider must be familiar with rugged terrain and varying conditions so they both can be calm in the face of difficulties. It is therefore appropriate that training exercises are rational and continuous to promote the required boldness in both the horse and rider.

So, the purpose of military riding lies in good performance in the field." ------- Federico Caprilli - from "Per L'Equitazione Di Campagna" (Gilmore Translation)

    "The traditional system believes that a soldier is best served by a horse trained by methods which desire to modify the horse’s balance, head position, natural movement of the joints and based upon the concept that a horse must only be balanced on the center of its mass, with head vertical and only articulated in the first vertebrae of the neck. The very fact that there are few horses in the regiments that match this requirement perfectly and other horses that serve them well would demonstrate that the methods suggested by existing rules as applied are too difficult and, at the same time, unnecessary.

    We will see how the rest of so many horses go wrong simply depends upon the desire at any cost to apply them in exactly the same way whether or not those methods lead to good results or produce barriers and other difficulties. . I think instead that we should strive to produce a horse that is in its natural state, with natural balance, with natural head position because if there is a need for some modification of balance we will see how the horse can correct itself when both horse and rider are left the appropriate freedom to do so. . I believe that everyone needs to learn these fundamental ideas of what I believe in terms of principles of military riding because I am convinced that the rider who is natural in terms of position and balance serves the horse well and such a horse easily adapts to being submissive to the will of the human.

    Both rider and horse in the field are, I believe, not united and destroy each other. This happens more in the regiments where the practices of riders and the requirement that horses have been trained for the many derivations relevant to the High School that mediocre results are produced. In fact, all else aside, the regiments are too large and difficult for the soldiers to manage...

    What I call a field horse is one that is good natured, calm and confident in the rider, fast and durable, long accustomed to galloping over any ground, calm and attentive in difficulty, and readily amenable to the will of the rider. This is the field horse and this is the horse soldier.

    Long years of practice and continuous observation have convinced me that the horse acquires the qualities of general effortlessness that I enumerated earlier, and submits to the cavalryman who applies work rationally and continuously, during which the cavalryman studies to make his horse better trained in its actions and not thwart the development of its natural attitudes and energies. This does not mean that we should allow the horse to do what he wants; on the contrary, it must be firmly persuaded and with energy, if needed, to do what the rider wants, however, leaving complete freedom to the horse to use and dispose of itself as best serves his means of balance and energy. This principal is fundamental and constantly informs all of the Riding Rules of Thumb that I shall expound later.

    Thus, free from worry, the horse shall give you all of his attention to do what he should do, and gradually learn to better use its strength and improve its skill. Instead, when the horse is apprehensive of the rider, and as a result of suffering from the rider's apprehension, the horse will constantly look for the pretext and opportunity to escape, as it learns to be in a state of distraction, turning away from any work to be accomplished. We will recall that the horse will submit itself naturally without the rider seeking to limit the horse by use of the force and strength in order to keep it in certain positions and rider imposed balance!".

1.) Move forwards and backwards,

2.) Turn right and left,

3.) Travel cross country and pass obstacles, and

4.) Handle weapons and fight from the back of a horse.

1.) The horse must be given the freedom to use his instincts in approaching the obstacle and freedom from being guided or restrained by the reins, legs, body weight of the rider or any 'assistance' from the rider

2.) The horse is allowed the greatest freedom to use his neck to balance, and the rider's upper body and hands must accompany the forward motion of the horse's head, neck and mouth in the execution of the jump

3.) The horse's spine and back must be freed from the weight of the rider, and especially in the lower back at the kidneys where that weight would impinge upon the ability of the horse's hind end to propel the horse over the jump.

4.) The rider should be up out of the saddle on the approach to the jump as well when passing over the jump

5.) All this must be done by with as little interference with the natural balance and motion of the horse and without restricting the natural range of movement of the horse's legs.

6.) Any attempt by the rider to 'assist' the horse in jumping by either timing the jump, counting strides or otherwise attempting to 'help' the horse while in the air is useless and generally harmful.