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CHAPTER XIV. 



REARING. 



Rearing is by far the most dangerous habit that 

 a horse can possess, and one of the most difficult 

 to cure. At a former stage it was shown that side 

 reins, too tightly attached, were a frequent cause 

 of rearing ; but there are numerous other incentives 

 that tend to make the horse rear, and a very general 

 one is sharp, continuous checking and tugging at 

 his mouth. Great numbers of horses are brought 

 back over in this manner, and when they do it two 

 or three times they are rarely, if ever, to be depended 

 on in future. The least check will be sufficient to 

 bring a horse over, and even at times, by some 

 unusual motion of the rider, he will conceive the 

 idea that he is about to be checked, and will throw 

 himself back over in sheer anticipation. Thus, oft- 

 times the rider is taken unawares, and the result is 

 frequently a serious one. A rider with light hands 

 is not so apt to bring a horse over as one with 

 heavy hands. Some riders can handle a horse so 

 lightly that the pressure on the bit is inappreciable, 

 while, on the other hand, not a few are dependent 



