HORSES WHICH RUN AWAY. 189 



take a spring to raise it with greater violence. Others content 

 themselves with throwing the head sharply back, without 

 lowering it in the first instance. In the former case we should 

 catch the horse with the snaffle reins (which are held in the 

 right hand) at the e.xact moment when he begins to lower it. 

 On account of the shock he will quickly raise his head, at 

 which instant we should drive him forward by a strong 

 pressure of the legs. The curb reins are loose, but are firmlj'^ 

 held in the left hand in such a way that the moment when; 

 the horse, by raising his head, tightens the curb reins, he will 

 receive a severe blow on the bars of the mouth. Therefore he- 

 has been stopped by the snaffle when he wished to lower his 

 head in order to get his impulse, and has been punished hy 

 the curb when, in throwing up his head, he brought it too- 

 far back. When he thus throws back his head without ob- 

 taining an impulse, we should drive him forward with a pres- 

 sure of the legs the moment he raises his head, and should 

 receive him on the curb, under the same conditions as those 

 first mentioned. 



To sum up, we make in the first case three movements of 

 the snaffle, legs and curb. In the second, we use only the 

 legs and the curb. Although these movements are successive, 

 they follow each other so closely that they almost unite into 

 a single one. In both cases, if the action of the legs does not 

 precede by ever so little that of the curb, we shall run the 

 risk of making the horse rear, or at least by crushing the hind 

 quarters we make him get behind his bit. 



HORSES WHICH RUN AWAY. 



I have always been fairly lucky, both as regards my pupils 

 and myself, in avoiding accidents from run-aways. My good 

 luck was not altogether a matter of chance. 



When a horse is running away, he will not listen to reason, 

 and I do not think any one rider would be able to stop him 



