PULLING. 269 



if their riders attempt to " catch them by the head " ; but will 

 not do so if they ride with very light hands, using the play 

 of the wrists rather than the pull of the arms, and speak 

 soothingly to them from time to time. We may observe 

 that many racehorses when doing their training gallops will 

 take a strong feeling of the reins as a signal to go all the 

 faster ; but they will slacken speed and pull up, the moment 

 their heads are " let go " at the conclusion of their spin. 



However much satisfaction a man with his own spurs on 

 a borrowed horse may have in allowing him to run away, 

 and even in urging him to go on when he begins to show 

 signs of having had enough ; no horseman worthy of the 

 name would wilfully incur the risk of breaking an animal 

 down, rather than exhaust every effort in trying what fine 

 hands and patience can effect. I believe horses have been 

 known to run away (I don't mean breaking away for a few 

 hundred yards) with some of our best riders ; although I 

 have never seen an animal which was properly bitted do so 

 with a really good and strong horseman who was at the 

 time in fair training. We may take for granted that in all 

 ordinary cases, when a horse runs away, he is wrongly bitted, 

 or the rider has bad hands, is weak, or is out of condition. 

 I am sorry that I am unable to supply my readers with any 

 patent method for stopping a runaway, or for remaining in 

 the saddle on a difficult horse or when going over a fence. 

 I can only indicate the best means for attaining these desirable 

 ends. 



As regards the bitting of a puller, I would advise that 

 with a double bridle the curb should be put low down in 

 the mouth (p. 103). I may here refer to what I said on 

 page 73, respecting the superiority of a properly-made 

 and a correctly put-on curb to a snaffle for holding a 

 puller. In all cases an unjointed snaffle (Fig. 117) is 

 much the best form of that bit. With a double bridle we 



