156 THE horse: its taming, 



imagine (no, you cannot, unless you have felt it) the 

 effect of a dozen or so shocks to the spine in rapid 

 succession, the horse coming down with all his legs 

 straight as iron bars, and twisting his head in the 

 air each time in a different direction. This takes 

 place upon a limited area, perhaps twenty feet by 

 twenty feet. Unless the man goes off in the first 

 bound, the horse spins round on his legs a few times 

 and renews the bounding, until one wonders whether 

 any of one's teeth intend to remain in their sockets. 

 One of two things must happen — either the man is 

 " slung" handsomely, or he sticks to the animal until 

 the beast becomes exhausted, gives in, and stands 

 sullenly refusing (or unable) to move to any persuasion 

 of the spur. I have seen a horse take severe punish- 

 ment after one of these bouts without stirring a yard, 

 his legs firmly planted wide apart, his head down, his 

 mouth wide open, and his tail tucked tight between 

 his legs. Even then he will occasionally get fresh 

 wind, and give you another nasty turn ; but it generally 

 means that he is done. Good sound girths will some- 

 times break by the violence of the strain, or the 

 crupper may slip — then, of course, man and tackle go 

 off altogether in a heap. Incredible as it may appear, 

 horses have been known, after a prolonged struggle, to 

 buck the saddle right off over head and forelegs with- 

 out breaking the girths. 



