HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 127 



up to his bridle with the leg, he immediately drops into a lob- 

 bing sort of canter, and this is perhaps the best time to get 

 hold of him and put him into his bridle. The rider must be 

 very firm about it, keeping his hands low and his fingers firmly 

 on the rein ; then he should close his legs strongly, and if that 

 has not the desired effect of forcing the horse up to his bridle 

 draw the lower part of the legs a little farther back, and, with- 

 out first taking the leg away, apply both spurs sharply behind 

 the girth, still keeping the hand firm. If the hands yield at 

 the moment the spur is applied, the horse will simply go for- 

 ward at an increased pace, to get away from the punishment, 

 still without going up to his bridle, whereas if the hands are 

 held firm without yielding, he must go on to his bit. 



It is not always that the desired result is obtained at once, 

 but the rider should be able to judge when there is an improve- 

 ment in the going of his horse, and then try to keep him up to 

 it without further punishment. Drawing the heels up and tickling 

 the horse with the spur, which is a thing often done unintention- 

 ally, especially in the bending lesson, is about the surest way of 

 teaching a young horse to kick : but there are often instances 

 of horses ' cow kicking ' at the leg, when they have not been 

 touched with the spur at all, and, if they do so, the spur on the 

 side that he kicked should be applied sharply without hesitation. 

 If it be taken in time the horse seldom perseveres in the habit, 

 but if allowed to go on unchecked, he gets confirmed in it, 

 and it takes some time and more punishment to eradicate it. 



Rearing is the most dangerous form of vice a horse can 

 show, and this is a sure sign that the animal is behind the hand. 

 It may be said that a horse never rears unless as a consequence 

 of some sudden start or fright, except when he is behind the 

 hand ; and the worst of it is, that this is about the most difficult 

 form of vice to tackle, for fear of the horse coming back on 

 the top of one. There are various ways of breaking the horse 

 of it, or trying to do so. Some people advocate smashing bottles 

 or bladders of water over their heads while they are up, others 

 are in favour of pulling them over. As for the first remedy, you 



