SPECIAL FORMS OF BESTIVENESS. 321 



by getting its head more or less into the position shown 

 by the lower head, Fig. 7 ; bub when it begins to elevate 

 itself on its hind legs, it assumes the exactly opposite 

 position, shown by the upper head of the same figure, 

 which, of course, equally enables it to defy the action 

 of the mouth-piece. The advice usually given is to 

 slacken the reins altogether; but this is simply " playing 

 into the horse's hand," because its object is precisely 

 to defeat the rider's hand, first by slinking away from 

 it, and finally by resisting it openly. Evidently this 

 advice is dictated by the apprehension that the rearing- 

 up of the horse, depriving the rider of the usual support 

 of the knees and stirrups, will lead him to seek this in 

 the reins, and so pull the horse over backwards ; and 

 110 doubt this will prove correct for the great majority 

 of riders. * But if a man sits to his saddle by his 

 thighs, and has his own body in balance, there need be 

 no such apprehension ; and if he then has only presence 

 of mind sufficient to preserve a feeling with the reins 

 during the time the horse's head is passing from the 

 position shown by the lower to that shown by the 

 upper head, Fig. 7, there will be a moment when it 

 will be in the intermediate position (see Fig. 6, middle 

 head), and the animal's back-bone will then also have 

 assumed an angle, not greater than 45 degrees, with the 

 horizon; the hocks, therefore, will be still bent some- 

 what (refer to Plate I., and Fig. 4 to realize the mechanism 

 of the hind leg). This is the moment to screw both 

 spurs as forcibly as possible into the horses sides, the 

 effect of which is, as we know, to bend the hocks, if 



* The very fact of the horse ever getting the length of rearing 

 is presumptive evidence of the rider's legs being in the wrong place 

 at the time. 



