SPECIAL FOEMS OF KESTIVENESS. 245 



own weight as far back as possible towards the horse's 

 loins. Energy is an admirable thing, but the energy 

 of stupidity seldom avails much ; and the above plan of 

 proceeding is nearly sure to make matters worse, and 

 convert a terrified animal into a vicious one. For 

 whether the anguish the poor horse endeavours to 

 escape from has its seat in the hind quarters or in the 

 head and neck, severe bitting is sure to aggravate it, 

 and a rude hard hand will do the same. The best, in 

 fact the only, remedy for a bolter is, a very carefully 

 fitted and well adjusted bit, a perfectly painless curb, 

 a light hand, and last, but not least, a very firm steady 

 seat, somewhat forward with horses that have weak 

 hind quarters. 



It is always a good plan to put a bolter on the lounge, 

 not, indeed, as is generally done, with the idea of letting 

 it exhaust itself, for weakness is more frequently the 

 exciting cause than strength, but for the purpose of 

 studying carefully its action, and finding out by de- 

 grees in what position or trim it will go steadily and 

 quietly in different paces. The object will be, of course, 

 with a horse that is weak behind, to train it on the 

 forehand, getting its neck just sufficiently high up to 

 prevent its being able, when the bit is applied, to bend 

 its head round towards the hand, so as to escape alto- 

 gether the lever action of that instrument ; but, on the 

 other hand, not so high or so far back as to throw the 

 weight on the hind legs. This will also afford a key 

 as to the dimensions of the lower bar of the bit. 



With a short-necked, narrow-throated, heavy-headed, 

 perhaps straight-shouldered horse, possessing good ser- 

 viceable hind quarters, the first object will be to get 

 these to bear the weight gradually in the manner indi- 



