THE WHIP. 435 



spurs, unless the horse is found to respond to the call, 

 good feeling and prudence forbid their use. Inflicting pain 

 on an animal when he is doing his best, is not only wanton 

 cruelty, but appears something like punishing him because 

 he is going as fast as his powers will enable him. Horses 

 have retentive memories, and there is no doubt many will 

 cease to struggle at the moment they are called upon to 

 do so, from reminiscences of former punishment." 



The use of the whip with the crouching seat, is a subject 

 I have not studied sufficiently to write much about, beyond 

 stating that, in this case, the whip would in >all probability 

 have to be employed under-hand, and not over-hand, as 

 is the usual English custom. The rule observed by all our 

 best old-time jockeys, is that a rider in a race should 

 strike his horse with the whip nowhere else except just 

 behind the girth, unless when preventing him from swerving, 

 etc. When he is hit in this manner, the side away from 

 the whip hand will be hurt more than the other, so 

 that the horse will not be so liable to swerve as he 

 would be, were he hit in any other way. Besides, hitting 

 him thus on the centre of the body will not " double him 

 up," nor make him change his leg, as striking him on 

 the flank or shoulder might do. A jockey who punishes 

 a horse about the sheath, or rips his sides with the spurs, 

 is a disgrace to his profession. 



A novice should not use a whip ; for none but a good rider 

 can sit still, hold his horse together with one hand and flog 

 at the same time. Although spurs do not present these 

 difficulties they are much less efficient than a whip in the hand 

 of a "workman." 



28* 



