just when the horse had plunged its head down so as to move underneath the branch , she leapt before it had neared it , long enough to permit her to spin forward in the air , her hands widened out like an eagles , her knees crouched , her back crooked , and she launched down on a branch , her legs straightened , her hands still pulled out like an eagles so that she was able to balance herself , her crooked back made straight .