JIBBING. 273 



who was holding the reins loosely in his right hand, shook 

 them on the animal's neck as a hint to go on. In an instant 

 the brute whipped his head round, seized the rider's wrist 

 with his teeth, and dragged him off his back. The poor 

 fellow battled with the horse for several minutes, and dealt 

 him blow after blow about the muzzle and face with his left 

 hand ; but the horse kept shaking him like a terrier would a 

 rat, until at last when he let go, my friend's wrist was a mass 

 of pulp, and had of course to be amputated. I am glad to 

 add that this terrible accident did not shake the iron nerves 

 of the sufferer, Mr. Bertie Short, and that he subsequently 

 won many steeplechases in India, though he had to wear a 

 hook. He used to ride with double reins sewn together at 

 intervals, so as to form loops, each about four or five inches 

 long. He was thus able to shorten or lengthen his hold, 

 or to take both reins in his hook, and use the whip in his left 

 hand. 



In first tackling the offender, supposing that he is not 

 also a rearer, we may sometimes succeed in bringing him 

 to reason by a few cuts of a whip or stick across his hind 

 legs, while pulling him from side to side ; but above all 

 things we should avoid hitting him about the shoulders or 

 neck, because that would be the plainest possible hint to 

 him to rear, even if he had not had the idea of rearing in 

 his mind, by making him still lighter in front. If our 

 coercive efforts do not promptly have a good effect, we 

 should at once cease them, lest they might irritate the 

 animal to still further resistance ; and then we cannot do 

 better than follow the routine described for overcoming 

 rearing. In turning the animal round to one side and then 

 to the other, we should gradually increase the size of the 

 circles, until at last we can get the horse to go in any 

 direction we wish. We should on no account attempt to 

 rein him back, lest the movement to the rear might 



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