286 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN, 



Russian steppes, and tlie bronchos and ponies of 

 our far Western country, are apt to have the 

 vicious, genuine buck in perfection. 



Rearing. — With the young horse, rearing is 

 the last frantic effort to unseat his rider; an old 

 rogue will sometimes resort to it, having found 

 his rider timid and much alarmed at the move- 

 ment. A lady should never ride a horse that 

 has once reared dangerously, unless the action 

 was occasioned by the injudicious use of too se- 

 vere a curb-bit. A horse that has once reared 

 without provocation will be very apt to do so 

 again. The danger of this vice is, that the horse 

 may fall backward and upon his rider. This ac- 

 cident will be especially liable to occur when, in 

 rearing suddenly and very high, he bends his 

 fore-legs under his body. While he is in this 

 position, should the rider feel him sinking down 

 upon his hind-quarters, she must instantly leap 

 from the saddle, at the same time giving, if pos- 

 sible, a vigorous push to the horse with both 

 hands, as near his shoulder as she can readily 

 reach without endangering herself. This is 

 done that he may be made to fall to the right, 

 and the impetus of the push will also convey 

 her to a safe distance, should he fall to the left. 



When a horse, after rearing, paws in the air 

 with his fore-feet, he is then employing them 



