RIDING REFUSERS. 289 



of falling ; are sulky ; have got into the habit of " running 

 out," by being allowed to do so, or by being "pulled off" 

 their fences by timid riders ; are afraid to face their bit ; or 

 because they fear to hurt themselves when taking off or 

 landing. 



When a horse refuses on account of being afraid to propel 

 himself, the mischief generally lies in the hocks ; but when his 

 dislike to jumping arises from his dread of painful concussion 

 on landing, the cause will most frequently be splints, fever in 

 the feet, corns, navicular disease, or injured ligament or 

 tendon. It is not very uncommon to find slight cases of 

 laminitis or navicular disease among good hunters, and even 

 among successful steeplechase horses. I have known two or 

 three cases of horses which had been bold fencers, becoming 

 refusers from having over-reached on their back tendons. It 

 is evident that the harder the ground, the more will any form 

 of unsoundness in front injuriously affect a horse's jumping 

 capacities. I remember a sad case of a good steeplechase 

 rider being killed by his horse falling on him over a small 

 fence; simply because the landing was hard, and the animal had 

 bad corns. Hunting men, for their own safety, and for avoid- 

 ing the risk of spoiling a valuable horse, should be particularly 

 careful not to make the disastrous mistake of attributing to 

 bad temper a refusal which was really caused by physical 

 infirmity ; for if they follow up such a blunder by undeserved 

 punishment, they will in all probability ruin their horse by 

 converting him into a refuser, and may also bring themselves 

 and him to grief by forcing him ■ to make an attempt which 

 he is incapable of properly accomplishing. As hunters have 

 to be shod rather short in front, so as to prevent them from 

 pulling off their fore shoes when landing over a fence, they are 

 peculiarly liable to corns, which in them are not an unfrequent 

 cause of refusing. 



When riding a somewhat faint-hearted or "reluctant " horse, 



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