VICE. 133 



like his first cousin the buck-jumper, means that his rider 

 should be " slung." He is quiet enough during the process 

 of mounting, and lets him remain so long as he is not asked 

 to move on, but when the mandate comes to make pro- 

 gress, he forthwith " sets to " in downright earnest. With 

 an angry snatch at the bit, back come his ears and down 

 goes his head, he hugs his tail like a hound under the lash, 

 swells himself out, hogs his back till it is arched like a 

 camel's, and without further preliminaries — these don't take 

 much longer than a second or two — he plunges forward with 

 mighty bounds. Here again there is little for the rider to 

 do save to stick on and keep the sulky brute straight. This 

 is the display of a pure unadulterated sulky disposition; the 

 American word " cussedness " best describes it. 



Violence of temper may be gentled down by firm and 

 judicious treatment and handling, but these sullen disposi- 

 tions can never be eradicated. Such an animal, if tackled 

 by a determined rider, is generally found to be a hung-hill, 

 hare-hearted brute. Such a one should be taken into a deep 

 clay, ploughed field, and there provoked to a duel. The 

 clay would afford good foothold, but no "jumping powder." 

 Armed with a severe Newmarket flogger and long hunting 

 spurs, the horseman, holding him by one hand, will rain 

 stinging cuts over his head, ears, neck, shoulder, and flank, 

 lancing his sides all the while, till he gives up the contest. 

 The treatment may be cruel, but such a horse is nothing 

 but a cow-hearted bully, and should be flogged like a 

 garotter. 



When riding a plunging horse use the Fitzwilliam girth, 

 or have three girths to the saddle, two fairly tight, the third 

 slacker, so that in the event — a very probable one— of the 

 two braced ones giving way, the third may hold the saddle. 



In concluding my few notes on Vices, I wish to accentuate 



