SPECIAL FORMS OF BESTIVENESS. 315 



&c., &c. Now, let us see what a horse does with itself 

 immediately before it actually does rear up. The rider 

 is perhaps just congratulating himself how nicely he 

 is getting along, when all of a sudden he feels as if the 

 horse had collapsed under him ; his seat is " nowhere ;"" 

 its head or mouth has shrunk away from the feeling on 

 the mouth-piece, and it has got its legs under its body, 

 and is come to a dead stand-still the rider usually,, 

 unless his seat be correct, falling forward with his body, 

 which of course makes matters worse. Then most 

 riders will give a great dig with their heels or spurs just 

 anywhere they can get at the horse, or perhaps a blow 

 with their whip, whereupon the animal elevates itself 

 on its hind legs and becomes a rearer. If the spurs, or 

 even the whip, had been applied in proper time that is 

 to say, before the horse came to a standstill there 

 would have been some use in them, and it would pro- 

 bably never have come to rearing at all. But if a 

 man's legs are spread far away from the horse's sides, 

 and he thinks proper not only to dangle his reins, but to 

 sit with his back rounded in the so-called " knowing 

 fashion," he will then have no " feeling in his seat," 

 and is consequently quite ignorant of what his horse is 

 going to do, and of course must come too late with both 

 spurs and whip, if he happened to possess these im- 

 plements. An immense majority of rearers learn this 

 vice when being ridden about in a slovenly manner by 

 young riders or grooms ; a man that keeps a lively feel 

 of his horse with both his hand and heels, and pays 

 attention to the play of its ears and to every variation 

 of its pace, will seldom if ever let it come to rearing r 

 because the moment he detects the least slackness he 

 will at once apply the proper remedy, which will be to 



