2 ;6 RIDING VICIOUS HORSES. 



shifted in his seat, or slackens the reins, the horse will get 

 his head free, and then the odds are against the man on his 

 back. The rider of such an animal should watch his every 

 movement, so as to be ready to catch him by the head in 

 a moment, and to prevent him from making the second or 

 third forward bound which he requires to do before he can 

 bolt. Such a horse can often be held at a gallop as long as 

 the rider does not allow him to get his head into some 

 particular position ; generally stuck out and held up. He 

 should of course use every means to prevent him from doing 

 this. If he fails to hold the animal, he should, if practicable, 

 circle him round and round to whichever side he finds that 

 the horse will turn more readily, which will generally be the 

 left, until he can get him in hand. 



There are some horses that will run away when galloping, 

 if their riders attempt to " catch them by the head " ; but will 

 not do so if they ride with very light hands, using the play 

 of the wrists rather than the pull of the arms, and speak 

 soothingly to them from time to time. We may observe 

 that many racehorses when doing their training gallops will 

 take a strong feeling of the reins as a signal to go all the 

 faster ; but they will slacken speed and pull up, the moment 

 their heads are " let go " at the conclusion of their spin. 



However much satisfaction a man with his own spurs on 

 a borrowed horse may have in allowing him to run away, 

 and even in urging him to go on when he begins to show 

 signs of having had enough ; no horseman worthy of the 

 name would wilfully incur the risk of breaking an animal 

 down, rather than exhaust every effort in trying what fine 

 hands and patience can effect. I believe horses have been 

 known to run away (I don't mean breaking away for a few 

 hundred yards) with some of our best riders ; although I 

 have never seen an animal which was properly bitted do so 

 with a really good and strong horseman who was at the 



