244 THE HORSE. 



take as little notice as possible of the shying, and t be especially 

 careful not to show any fear of its recurrence when a ^ragon appears 

 in the distance. When the horse begins to show alarm, but not 

 till then, the rider should speak encouragingly to him, and, if 

 necessary, with a severe tone, which may even be supported by the 

 use of the whip or spurs, if his onward progress cannot be other- 

 wise maintained. The principle which sh- uld be carried out is to 

 adopt such measures as will get the horse to pass the object at 

 which he shies somehow or other, and this should be effected with 

 as little violence as possible, always commending in an encouraging 

 tone as soon as the purpose is gained. Nothing has so great a 

 tendency to keep up the habit as the plan so common among igno- 

 rant grooms, of chastising the shyer after he has passed the object 

 of his alarm. If he can be persuaded to go quietly up to it and 

 examine it with his muzzle as well as with his eyes, great good will 

 be effected ; but this can seldom be done with moving wagons, and 

 heaps or stones are generally only alarming from defect of vision, 

 so that each time they assume a new phase to the active imagina- 

 tion of the timid animal. 



Rearing is seldom met with excepting among raw colts, or if it 

 is continued to a later period it is generally incurable. When exist- 

 ing in an aggravated form it is a most dangerous vice, as a fall 

 backwards over the rider has often led to fatal consequences. 



The usual remedy for it in the colt is the ordinary running 

 martingale, which will keep down the rearer who is merely in- 

 dulging in his playful fancies. When, however, the vice has be- 

 come confirmed, nothing short of severe punishment will be of any 

 service, and the horsebreaker generally resorts to the plan of knock- 

 ing the horse down as he rises by a blow between the ears with a 

 loaded crop. This stuns the horse for a time, and alarms him so 

 much that he is often cured by one act of the kind; but it is at- 

 tended with some danger of injuring the horse, and the rider does 

 not always escape. Another plan adopted by active breakers is to 

 wait till the horse is just on the balance, and then slipping off to 

 the left, it is easy to pull Kim over backwards; but this also is often 

 followed by severe injury to the horse when the ground is hard. 

 I have almost invariably found that bad rearers have very supple 

 necks, which increases the difficulty of keeping them down by any 

 kind of martingale, and probably this will account for the habit 

 having become inveterate. A stiff-necked horse can scarcely rise 

 high if his head is confined even by the running martingale; but 

 when the side-straps are tightly buckled to the bit, he is effectually 

 restrained, whereas with a loose neck the head can be so bent in 

 to the brisket that no obstacle is offered. In such cases I have 

 known a cavesson with the noseband lined with sharp prickers, 

 and the martingale buckled to it; a m^«t effectual prevention, as 



