276 Outdoor Vices and Whims 



Buck-jumping. — This is a very dangerous vice of 

 riding horses. Sometimes they buck and run away 

 as horses in harness do. They get their chins 

 down on their breasts, arch their backs and bound, 

 buck or jump along in such a way that it requires 

 an expert rider to remain in the saddle. To over- 

 come this habit, put the horse through a similar course 

 to that suggested above for the horse difficult to 

 mount. Spend much time in driving him about 

 with the bag of earth secured to his back and the 

 double safety attached. Each time as he starts to 

 buck, bring him to his knees severely and hold him 

 there for some time. Soon he will understand that 

 if he jumps or bucks, he must come to his knees and 

 remain there as a punishment. Now do all you can 

 to make him buck, pulling him down each time that 

 he does. When he positively refuses to buck, stupefy 

 him with the tail-rope and then mount. 



Rearing. — This is also a very dangerous habit for 

 a riding horse to possess, as he is likely to throw his 

 head up and strike the rider, or in some cases, he 

 may fall over backward, thus exposing the rider to 

 the greatest of danger. To overcome the vice, put 

 the horse through the same course suggested above 

 for the horse difficult to mount and the buck-jumper. 

 When he seems perfectly submissive and you are 

 ready to mount, as a further precaution attach the 

 rearing-twitch (p. 200) to prevent any possibility of 

 danger. Now if perchance he should start to rear 



