Horses and Horsemastership. 95 



had a somewhat unfortunate acquaintance with it. To 

 find your horse standing bolt upright on his hind legs, 

 pawing the air with his fore legs, is apt to be disconcert- 

 ing. Tliere is, of course, a vast difference between the 

 light-mouthed horse who will occasionally " get up" when 

 a man who has no hands lays hold of him, and the brute 

 with whom it has become a vice and who means business. 

 The former will desist as soon as his mouth is eased ; 

 the latter intends to get rid of his rider if possible. 



The way to sit a rearer is to at once ease the hands, 

 retainixLg just sufficient feeling of the mouth so that you 

 may not be taken at a disadvantage, but, of course, 

 avoiding anything approaching a dead pull on the reins. 

 Lean w^ell forward ; get your legs well back, and screw 

 the spurs into his flanks. The horse will probably 

 plunge forward (for which you must be prepared), when, 

 before he has time to think, the application on the 

 shoulders of a few stinging cuts from a whip is usually 

 productive of excellent results. The moment he comes 

 to the ground again force him to shift his hind legs by 

 turning him on the forehand. Always be prepared for 

 his coming right over, when your only chance is to 

 jump clear in time. 



Different methods of curing a horse of rearing have 

 heen suggested. One brutal, but I have been told 

 (though I don't believe it) effective way was to smash a 



