120 THE BAEB AND THE BRIDLE. 



should consist first in keeping his head up, and, secondly, in finding 

 him something else to do than kick. 



A horse cannot have his head and his tail up at the same time, 

 therefore, when he kicks, his first effort is to get his head down. This 

 should be immediately counteracted by the rider sitting well back, 

 keeping her hands up as high as her elbows, feeling the horse 

 firmly on the curb reins as well as the snaffle held in one hand, while 

 she applies the whip vigorously across his neck. This will have the 

 effect of causing him to keep his head up and go to the front. The 

 same firm treatment will be successful in most cases where a horse 

 attempts to plunge. But in the latter case the hand must be 

 yielded if there is any attempt to rear, and if the last-named 

 dangerous vice is carried to any length, the rider should not hesi- 

 tate to take fast hold of the mane, or put her hand in front of the 

 horse's neck. Both rearing or plunging, however, may be effec- 

 tually prevented by the use of the circular bit and martingale, 

 described under the heading " Rearing Horses and Runaway Dogs " 

 in the Field of Nov. 11, 1871. In my humble oj)inion, every lady 

 going to India and the colonies should have one or two such bits 

 among her outfit of saddlery, and if properly fitted in the horse's 

 mouth, all risk of rearing or even violent flirting is done away with . 

 Such tackle, however, does not prevent a horse from kicking^ and 

 although no lady should ever attempt to ride one that is possessed 

 habitually of this vice, a sudden accession of kicking may arise in an 

 otherwise good-meaning horse from some ill-fitting of the saddle, or 

 similar casualty, causing tender back or otherwise upsetting him. Of 

 course, no punishment should be resorted to in these cases ; but it is 

 as well for a lady to be able to keep her seat in such an emergency, 

 and this she will easily do if she keeps the horse's head up, and her 

 leg well pressed against the third crutch. 



On Brighton Downs, some years ago, I saw a young lady 

 thoroughly master a kicking horse in the manner above described, 

 accompanied, however, with a considerable amount of punisliment, 

 most resolutely applied with a formidable whalebone whip. No 

 second glance was necessary to perceive that in this case the lady was 

 well aware of the horse's propensity, and had come out for the pur- 



