igo HORSES AVITH VICES. 



much better than another ; but we can do a good deal to stop 

 him from running away. Here the real knack consists in 

 prevention, and therefore the watchful horseman will never 

 let his animal get out of hand. Immediately he feels that 

 the horse is ready to break away, he will steady him and 

 calm him down by the voice and pats on the neck. 



A horse often runs away because the bars of his mouth 

 have become insensible on account of the rider pulling at him, 

 which in this case is like pulling at a wall, and consequently 

 the horse can bolt when he likes. 



To keep the mouth fresh, the rider ought to use the snaffle 

 and curb alternately ; that is to say, he should not let the 

 animal take a bearing on either reins. 



Some horses run away with their heads high, others bring 

 the chin into the breast. We should always try to lower the 

 heads of the former with the curb, and to raise those of the 

 latter with the snaffle. 



If the horse succeeds in bringing the head so low down 

 and in rounding the neck so much that the cheeks of the 

 curb are in contact with the breast, the more the rider pulls 

 at the curb reins, the less will the bit act on the mouth,* 

 and the more will he maintam the wrong position of his 

 head and neck. The only thing he has to do in this case is 

 to saw the snaffle. 



With horses which get the chin into the chest it is well to 

 use a gag snaffle, which acts upwards instead of backwards. 

 It is also useful with a horse that has a heavy head and neck, 

 which such an animal always tries to make his rider carry. 

 Of course I offer this advice only to those who do not know 

 how to balance their horses. 



A horse is often said to run away when in reality he is 



only carrying away his rider. 



* By pulling on the cheeks of the curb, we fix them against the breast 

 and cause the mouthpiece to shift upwards in the mouth, which action 

 relieves the bars. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



