THE-:- HORSE 



will shift his weight from one front leg to 

 the other, with lowered head. A rider ob- 

 serving these symptoms should act at once. 



Pawing. — Pawing is a nervous movement 

 made by the horse, particularly when being 

 restrained in his desire to move forward. In 

 the act of pawing, the horse stretches one 

 front leg forward, strikes the ground with its 

 hoof, toe pointed downward, and carries the 

 hoof back and up toward the girth. Most 

 horses at some time paw. The habit is not 

 serious. 



Rearing. — In rearing, the horse has the 

 tendency to stand straight up on his hind 

 legs. Bad handling will often cause a horse to 

 do this. Cinch-binding is also a cause. It is 

 said that a bottle of charged water broken 

 upon the horse's head, between his ears, in 

 such a way that its contents will run down 

 the face of the animal, will eradicate the 

 horse's desire to rear. This may, in part, be 

 true, as a blow of sufficient force adminis- 

 tered to the head will act as a kind of panacea 

 and will eradicate the desire to rear, as well 

 as all other natural instincts to which the 

 horse is heir. However, this method is self- 

 evidently foolish. 



The best preventive method is to avoid any 

 sudden pull upon the reins, especially when 

 the horse is standing still, because it is at 

 this time he will most likely rear. 



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