140 UNASKED ADVICE. 



The tricks of a restive horse always are put in practice 

 with the greatest spirit and perseverance when he is 

 fresh,, and it is generally a question of spirit and per- 

 severance between the horse and his rider who shall be 

 master. Now a restive horse is more or less an intel- 

 lectual one. You are riding hira^ we will suppose^ and 

 come to four cross roads : one road leads towards home, 

 or the horse thinks that it does — for they are not always 

 quite accurate in their geography — and he stops short. 

 If a beginner, he may avail himself of the excuse of a bird 

 moving in the hedge, or some such trifle; if an old 

 offender, he will stop without any apology. In either 

 case he ''^reverses his front,^' as soldiers say (almost 

 always "left about ^^), and would be for going home, or 

 down the desired path ; but by this time you, the rider, 

 have recovered your surprise, and, taking up the reins, 

 pull him up. This is signal enough for a real old offender 

 to begin, whatever may be his peculiar vanity in the way 

 of resistance, but a tyro will stop, and then you try to 

 turn him round again. He declines, and shakes his head. 

 The rider spurs him; he kicks. Ditto repeated two or 

 three times. Next, the biped probably gives the qua- 

 druped one down the shoulder with his whip. That the 

 latter will convert himself into a biped for the time by 

 rearing straight uj) is one of the " few certainties out." 

 So far, so good. If the rider be timid he probably gives 

 in, and the horse scores a victory ; if otherwise, sup- 

 posing that the ground is favourable — for the neighbour- 

 hood of a deep blind ditch or some such thing often 

 makes a fight impossible — the rearing and kicking con- 

 tinue for sometime. The horse may rear and come back ; 

 but he may rear very often and very high without doing 

 so, and if he does it will not be on purpose. The bold 



