THE-:- HORSE 



trick in my repertory. Facing the unwilling 

 beast around so that he presented his tail to 

 the bridge, I succeeded in backing him up 

 until he was upon the bridge before he 

 realized it. Thus I was able to persuade him 

 to shy off the bridge's other end, which 

 brought me in good time to my destination. 



Stumbling. — Stumbling is a kind of habit 

 with many horses. Horses that keep their 

 hoofs close to the ground are predisposed to 

 stumble. Phlegmatic and careless horses are 

 apt to stumble. Faulty conformation is often 

 a cause. If such a horse is to be taken over an 

 uneven piece of ground, it is well, with the 

 use of a whip or other aid, to keep him in an 

 excited condition. When excited, he will be 

 more on the alert and more apt to lift his 

 feet high from the ground than he would be 

 in ordinary circumstances. 



Falling. — Some horses throw themselves 

 purposely, but this is very rare. A bad rider, 

 in saving his own balance, often pulls over 

 backward a horse that is inclined to rear. 

 The usual cause of falling, however, is a per- 

 fectly normal one, and is merely produced by 

 the horse slipping, or crossing his legs, which 

 is the result of slipping. To turn when gal- 

 loping in excess of a certain rate of speed on 

 a slippery place or an uneven piece of ground 

 is a very common cause of a horse's falling. 

 A stumbling horse will often fall, but usually 



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