RIDING REFUSERS. 291 



said, far less effective in keeping him straight, than using it 

 on his hind quarters on the opposite side. The not uncom- 

 mon fool's trick of hitting a horse on the right shoulder, 

 when he refuses to the left, and vice versd, is of course a 

 direct incentive to do wrong. 



Some men will make any horse refuse, however clever and 

 willing the animal may be. I have known individuals of this 

 class get up to ride over a country, even in steeplechases, 

 without the slightest intention of crossing a single fence. It 

 is common enough out hunting, even in the Shires, to see 

 people, actuated by the contemptible ambition of " showing 

 off," riding at fences, and deliberately pulling their animal off, 

 before it is too late They then hold forth about the wonders 

 they would have done, had not " that brute of a horse " 

 spoiled their fun. There are others, however, with the best 

 intentions, who are unable to induce their mount to jump. 

 In nine cases out of ten, the fault lies in the rider not being 

 able " to throw his heart over " ; for something more than 

 mere passive permission is needed to get most horses to leap 

 kindly, especially those which have had poor horsemen on 

 their backs. Incompetent riders who mean going straight, 

 often fail, on account of not pressing the animal up to his 

 bridle with their legs, and from using the reins in a wrong 

 manner. For instance, if he goes too slow at his fences, 

 instead of pulling him together and sending him up to his 

 bit, they slacken the reins and let him run out, without 

 attempting to steady him with the pressure of their legs, as 

 they ought to do. If the horse is a free mover, they take a 

 dead pull on his mouth and never think of closing their legs 

 to his sides, which is the one indication above all others, by 

 which the animal understands that his rider means jumping. 



The habit of riding with only one hand on the reins, or 

 with an unequal feeling on the reins, when both hands are 

 employed, is a frequent means by which horses are taught to 



