THE USE OF THE BRIDLE 



in the honour of our horse. At the very last 

 stride the traitor refuses, and whisks round. 

 ^' Et tu brute!'' we exclaim — "Are jj/^« also a 

 brute?" — and catching him vigorously by the 

 head, we ram him again at the obstacle to fly 

 over it like a bird. Early associations had 

 prevailed, and our stanch friend disappointed us, 

 not from cowardice, temper, nor incapacity, but 

 only from the influence of an education based on 

 principles contrary to common-sense. 



The great art of horsemanship, then, is to find 

 out what the animal requires of us, and to meet 

 its wishes, even its prejudices, half-way. Cool 

 with the rash, and daring with the cautious, it is 

 wise to retain the semblance, at least, of a self- 

 possession superior to casualties, and equal to 

 any emergency, from a refusal to a fall. Though 

 "give and take" is the very first principle of 

 handling, too sudden a variation of pressure has 

 a tendency to confuse and flurry a hunter, 

 whether in the gallop or when collecting itself 

 for the leap. If you have been holding a horse 

 hard by the head, to let him go in the last stride 

 is very apt to make him run into his fence ; while, 

 if you have been riding with a light hand and 

 loosened rein, a "chuck under the chin" at an 

 inopportune moment distracts his attention, and 

 causes him to drop short. " How did you get 

 your fall ? " is a common question in the hunting- 



53 



