86 RIDING FOR LADIES. 



lock joint, the trainer then taking a firm hold of the ends in his 

 right hand says in a loud voice " Hold up ! " at the same time with 

 the palm of the left hand, throwing a portion of his weight on to 

 the near shoulder ; this, by throwing the animal's weight over on 

 to the offside, enables the foot to be easily held up. 



This lesson imparted, it is extended to the off fore foot. Should 

 the colt, by laying back his ears, showing the whites of his eyes, 

 hugging his tail, and other demonstrations of wickedness, evince 

 his objections to being handled behind the girth, one of the fore 

 feet must be held up and strapped, the buckle of the strap being 

 on the outside of the arm, the foot brought so close to the point 

 of the elbow that no play is left to the knee joint. Then com- 

 mence to wisp him all over commencing with the head, but, if 

 he is not very restive," do not keep the weight on three legs more 

 than ten minutes at a time, though he, if not overburdened with 

 fat, could easily stand very much longer, or travel a mile or so 

 on three legs. The object, unless vice be displayed, is merely to 

 prevent serious resistance and to convince him that the opera- 

 tion causes no pain. The wisp, the assistant all the time stand- 

 ing at his head speaking in low reassuring tone, patting and 

 caressing him, in the hands of the operator should be at first 

 very gently then briskly applied to the flanks, over the loins, 

 down the quarters and along the channel running between the 

 buttocks, inside the flanks, stifles and haunches, over the sheath, 

 down inside the hocks, in fact anywhere and everywhere known 

 to be tender and "kittle." Having succeeded with the near 

 fore foot up, release it, let him rest awhile and find his way to the 

 store-room dainties. Go through precisely the same lesson 

 with the right foot up, on this occasion giving special attention 

 to those parts which he most strongly objects to being handled. 

 Dwell over his hocks and the inside of his stifles, handle his 

 tail, freely sponging his dock out, running the sponge down 

 through the channel over the sheath, the inside of the thighs 

 and hocks. Release the fore foot, and if he will stand a repe- 

 tition of all these liberties quietly, he has learnt one important 

 part of his education. 



Elsewhere I have endeavoured to describe the unsophisticated 

 antics displayed by the fresh-caught Australian buck-jumper and 

 the inveterate plunger in endeavouring to dislocate their riders. 

 In the one case it is the untaught, unpractised effort of an animal 

 in a paroxysm of fear ; in the other the vice of the artful, tricky, 

 practitioner. In either case the horseman may be, very often is, 

 " slung " handsomely, wondering, as he picks himself up, dazed 

 and bewildered with an incoherent idea as to what had befallen 



