PACES, VICES, AND FAULTS. 143 



muscular action, or from malformation of the feet Neither 

 can it be cured when it arises from the shoulders being too 

 straight, or the forelegs shaky. A bad, cramped trotter 

 without any proper knee action, is extremely likely to 

 stumble and come down, and all that a rider can possibly 

 do with such a one is to keep him well collected — I do not 

 mean reined in, but going properly up to his bridle — and 

 to make him bring his hind legs under him, at whatever 

 pace he may be going. I greatly dislike the habit, common 

 among ignorant riders and drivers, of striking a horse when 

 he stumbles : it cannot then effect any good, and is calculated 

 to give him an unpleasant habit of prancing about when- 

 ever the mishap occurs. 



Disquietude in mounting is a very serious fault. Some 

 horses plunge and dance in a highly dangerous manner — 

 the result of nervousness, or of having at some time or 

 another been frightened by some mischance. When this is 

 the case the horse ought to be held for a moment or two 

 by the snaffle rein only, quite close to the cheek, and be 

 spoken to at the same time in a soothing manner. He 

 should never on any account be scolded, and by-and-by, 

 when he quiets down a little, the groom should stand at 

 his head, and hold the snaffle-reins firmly but lightly in 

 both hands. If you perceive that he (the attendant) is not 

 thoroughly master of his business, it will be yours to see 

 that he does not by any movement bring the curb into 

 action, or pinch the horse's jaw. 



Running away is a desperate vice for a lady to have to 

 grapple with, and my own experiences of it warn me to put 



