PULLING. 275 



given in. Although few of us when going out for a ride 

 could spare six hours to sit on a motionless horse, the 

 infliction of that long halt on the rebel was thoroughly 

 sound in principle ; because it made the horse connect the 

 idea of distressing tedium with that of his vice. The principle 

 of making a horse go round and round to one side and then 

 to the other, when put into practice, has a somewhat similar, 

 though stronger and very much quicker effect. 



PULLING AND RUNNING AWAY. 



If a horse cannot be promptly got in hand, the rider should 

 use the reins in the manner described on pages 230 and 231, 

 and 260 to 262. If the animal gets his head up, the rider should 

 drop his hands and wait until he lowers it before taking a 

 pull. In order that the muscles may work to better ad- 

 vantage, the rider should hold the reins rather short, and 

 they may be knotted in order to give a firmer hold. If the 

 horse carries his head low, the rider may saw the bit (pull it 

 through the mouth from side to side) to make him bring it 

 up. When a horse pulls hard, the rider should sit down, 

 and should grip the flaps of the saddle as tightly as he 

 can with his knees (pp. 196 and 197) ; for at such a time 

 it is all important for him to be able to manipulate the 

 reins with precision, which he could not do if his body 

 was moving about. As a horse is far stronger than we 

 are, we have to depend much more on skill than on 

 strength for holding a hard puller. Hence our chief object 

 in this case should be to secure accuracy in the manipulation 

 of the reins. 



As a rule, the most desperate puller will not break away 

 from control unless his rider has the temerity to give him his 

 head. All may go on well until something startles the 

 animal, who is generally on the look out for an excuse to 

 play up. If, when he bounds forward, the rider becomes 



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