134 



and movements of the horse whether he is trying 

 to throw him through mischief, or whether he is 

 merely frisking in play. If the horse is only playful 

 and fresh, he should not be punished at all, but 

 only drawn well together and gently steadied down. 

 On the other hand, if he is indulging in the more 

 serious caprice of trying to get rid of his rider, he 

 should be well taken in hand, and the whip brought 

 smartly across his shoulder twice or thrice. In such 

 circumstances he must not be continuously whipped 

 or he will be sure to resist, and his temper may 

 easily be broken in the contest. If he should still 

 persist in his efforts to throw the rider, something 

 else should be tried. He should get a taste of the 

 spurs, and if this fail a good gallop will generally 

 be effectual in bringing him to his senses. The 

 saddle should always be put upon the back of a 

 horse a quarter of an hour before he is taken out, in 

 order that it may get warmed before he is mounted. 

 A number of horses will kick and buck under the 

 pressure of a cold saddle, particularly when they 

 are newly clipped, that would be quite quiet if the 

 precaution of warming the saddle were regarded. 



STEADINESS. 



Quite a number of accidents occur by horses 

 moving off at a trot or a gallop when the rider is 

 only partially mounted. This is generally a result 

 of defective breaking. A colt should never be per- 

 mitted to move until the rider is fairly seated in 



