264 RIDING VICIOUS HORSES. 



injure his poll, is certain to make him " shy " of being touched 

 about the head, and will have no curative effect. 



The standing martingale attached to the rings of the 

 snaffle (pp. 90 to 94) acts as a valuable preventive against 

 rearing, by bringing the head down and thus putting weight 

 on the fore-hand, and by punishing the mouth when the horse 

 tries to get up. I would not, however, advise that a rearer 

 should be ridden for the first time in this martingale; because, 

 on feeling the unaccustomed restraint when attempting to 

 rear, he might throw himself backwards, as I have known 

 horses do. Lunging and turning the horse sharply several 

 times with the long reins for about a quarter of an hour, 

 will generally be sufficient to give him all the preliminary 

 instruction he will require with the standing martingale. 



Major W. M. Sherston told me that a capital plan for 

 stopping a horse from rearing, is to hit him a blow over the 

 eye with the flat of the hand the moment he " gets up." 

 He said that one or two applications are enough for the 

 animal's life. Although I have never tried this plan, I 

 can fully believe in its good effects, especially as it makes 

 the horse bring down his head and shy off to one side, which 

 are actions that are opposed to the attainment of an upright 

 position. It has the disadvantage of being apt to make him 

 shy of being handled about the head. 



JIBBING. 



The vice of restiveness, or that of obstinately refusing 

 to go on, is called "jibbing," or being "nappy." Ignorant 

 people often apply the word " restive " to a horse that is 

 unsteady ; in fact, one which will not remain standing in 

 the same place. As passive resistance is more difficult to 

 overcome than active opposition, the exhibition of this vice 

 will try a rider's temper and baffle his powers of persuasion 

 and coercion, more than the whole list of equine tricks put 



