RIDING DIFFICULT HORSES.
General Remarks--Shying--Stumbling--Dancing and Prancing--Throwing up
the Head--Habit-shy--Jibbing--Shouldering--Backing--Pulling--
Refusing--Boring--Kicking--Buck-jumping--Rearing.
GENERAL REMARKS.
As ladies are not supposed to have to ride "difficult" horses, a chapter
on the best means of managing such animals may appear superfluous; but
even the steadiest animal is apt to go wrong at times, and as forewarned
is forearmed, it is best for us to know how to act in cases of
emergency. I do not think that there exists in this world an absolutely
perfect horse, or faultless human being for that matter, although many
members of both the human and equine race nearly approach the ideal
standard, especially among our own gentle sex. A woman who rides a great
variety of horses finds that each of her mounts has his or her special
peculiarity of temper, which often sorely taxes her supply of patience
and tact in keeping it under control. All horses, even the quietest, try
to show their authority when ridden by a stranger, and still more so
when they find themselves carrying a rider who sits in a side-saddle,
which must be a most unnatural burden to a horse that has been broken
and ridden by men. Apart from considerations of side-saddle gear, the
extra steadiness which is required of him in standing "stock" still
while a lady is being put up on his back and her habit arranged,
necessitates more patience on his part than with a male rider. On the
other hand, he may be impressed with the idea that he is being asked to
carry a more precious burden, and that he must prove himself worthy of
the confidence reposed in him. I think this feeling of honour exists in
horses, for I am reminded of a charger which an officer in India lent
me, with somewhat anxious misgivings, to ride. He told me that the
animal would be sure to buck at a certain spot, and, as he rode with me,
he warned me when I came to this debateable ground to be ready for the
usual performance. We cantered along quietly, as we had been doing, for
I thought it best to pretend nothing, and my mount, to his owner's great
surprise, made no attempt to buck, either then or subsequently, while I
was riding him, and we remained the best of friends. A hunter mare which
I had in Cheshire, gave another instance of this honourable feeling
among equines. When ridden by my husband or myself, she loved to show
off by shying at a white gate, a heap of stones, a piece of paper, a
bird, or any imaginable thing that she could find as an excuse to dart
suddenly from one side of the road to the other. When we got to the
hunting field, with all its noise and turmoil, she was as steady as
possible, and the violent shying, which was her way of showing off,
seemed to be quite forgotten. She would carry my son to his school, a
distance of about five miles, and bring him home without making any
attempt to shy with the child, but if an adult person rode her on the
same route, she would play up as usual. I can only infer from this
experience that, as I have already said, many horses possess a certain
sense of honour. As shying is the most common vice among horses, we may
consider it first.
SHYING.
I have called this habit or trick of becoming violently startled without
adequate cause a vice, because in old horses who frequently shy with the
object of unseating a rider thus suddenly taken unawares, it certainly
is a very bad vice, and one for which the only cure is good
horsemanship--that is to say, a seat sufficiently secure in the saddle
to enable us to treat such conduct with indifference. If we attach
importance to it by losing our temper and hitting an artful offender of
this kind, punishment may cause an unpleasant exhibition of temper on
his part, besides letting him see that his object has been accomplished.
In the case of young and nervous horses, shying arises from timidity and
not from vice, and therefore it behoves us to exhibit patience and
kindness in inspiring confidence in such animals and assuring them that
there is no reason for terror. The best means of doing this is to ride
on and take no notice, although we may see by the behaviour of our
mount, as he keeps his ears pricked, snorts at the terrifying object in
front of him, slackens his pace, and prepares to either stop or dart
away, that he will require encouragement to induce him to go on. As long
as he answers the indications of the reins and pressure (not cuts) of
the whip we should keep silent; but when he falters as if his heart were
failing him, it is time for us to encourage him with the voice, softly
at first, and louder, in a determined tone of command, if he still
hesitates. With a young horse it is well to continue speaking to and
soothing him until he has falteringly passed the cause of alarm, as the
sound of his rider's voice often inspires him with confidence at the
critical moment by withdrawing his attention from the object of his
fright. If a lady is riding with a friend and is engaged in conversation
when her horse begins to show fear at some object of alarm, she should
continue her talk, because it will give him more encouragement to go on,
than sudden silence on her part, which he might take as a sign that she
shares his fear. If she finds it necessary to shorten her reins in
anticipation of his "playing up," she should do it in an easy and
gradual manner, so as not to let him know her intentions, and above all
things she should refrain from speaking to him until it is absolutely
necessary, which will be at the moment he is getting ready to swerve. I
have at present a very amiable and steady hunter, which will invariably
shy at any high vehicle, but will pass traction engines, trains and even
motor cars quite quietly. No doubt his unsteadiness is nervousness and
not vice, and is the result of an accident. It is not a good plan to
wrestle with a horse until he can be induced to go up to and smell what
he was shying at; for besides attaching too much importance to a trivial
failing, it is not always possible to do this, in the case of moving
objects, which cause animals far more terror than stationary ones. The
whip should never be used on a shying horse with the object of hurting
him, because it is unjust to inflict pain for an unintentional mistake,
and idiotic to regard the exhibition of his fear as a personal affront,
which is often done by ignorant riders. Almost all horses when they are
very fresh, and especially on cold days, will shy and jump about on
first being taken out, partly with the desire to keep themselves warm,
and also with delight at being able to come out and enjoy a scamper.
Dogs exhibit much the same skittishness; even old animals gamble like
puppies when they are taken out, and the shying which results from
freshness in horses should be tolerated within, of course, reasonable
limits. Exercise will take away the superfluous playfulness, and it is
one of the best of cures for equine failings, because even young horses
which are regularly ridden, soon give up their habit of nervous shying
and become steady conveyances. However terrified an inexperienced
horsewoman may be on finding herself on a horse which shies badly, she
should take care not to divulge her secret to him, as the animal would
then try to usurp the reins of authority and refuse to obey her
tremulous exhortations. She should always bear in mind that horses,
young or old, nervous or bold, require as much keeping in their place as
do domestic servants. Therefore, in all critical situations in which our
ability to govern is directly challenged, we should assume the virtue of
power if we have it not, and hang our banners on the outer walls, even
though we may not have a shot in the locker.
STUMBLING.
Stumbling is not a vice, and therefore it would be as unjust to hit a
horse for accidentally tripping, as it would be to strike a human being
for making a false step and possibly spraining an ankle. Its chief
causes may, I think, be traced to weakness; and, in the case of young
horses, to bad shoeing and dirty stables. The subject of horse-shoeing
is one which does not appeal to ordinary riders, so I may refer any lady
who desires to study it, to my husband's chapter on it, in his new
edition of _Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners_. The feet of horses
should not be washed, because this practice renders horses liable to
cracked heels and thrush, both of which ailments diminish the
sure-footedness of an affected animal. If the feet are carefully picked
out and brushed they can be kept in a hard, healthy condition, such as
we find in the feet of young and unbroken horses which have never been
shod. The stable should be kept clean and dry, for it is useless to
expect a horse's feet to remain in a sound condition if he be allowed
to stand in a wet and dirty stall or loose-box. The feet should always
be carefully picked out after an animal has been exercised on tan, which
contains matter that is injurious to the feet if it be allowed to remain
in them. We have had bad cases of thrush caused by carelessness in this
respect. As regards conformation, it is evident that horses with upright
pasterns and heavy shoulders are far more apt to stumble than
well-shaped ones, besides being rough and unpleasant to ride. Young
horses which are shod for the first time, often stumble a great deal,
until they get accustomed to their artificial foot-gear, and learn to go
in a collected manner. Animals that are punished for stumbling by
ignorant or bad-tempered riders, frequently acquire the detestable habit
of dancing about every time they make a false step.
DANCING AND PRANCING.
This vice, which some badly-broken horses possess, of refusing to walk
when required, and "blowing their noses" when spoken to, proceeds
generally from temper, and a desire on the animal's part to show his
authority. It is sometimes caused by the rider hanging on to the reins,
especially if she uses a sharp curb or Pelham. I have known cases of
horses which had been sold at a great sacrifice on account of this
trick, become perfectly steady in a few days when properly handled. On
the other hand, there are animals which prance from vice, and refuse to
obey even the best horsewomen. I know of nothing more annoying to a
lady, for it causes her to feel hot and uncomfortable, to say nothing
of a possible headache and pain in the side. Such fretting and fuming
brutes are not fit to ride, and should be put through a course of
breaking lessons, preferably with the long reins, and be punished by
being compelled to rein back, walk and halt at word of command. If it is
inconvenient to have them properly broken, they should be driven in
harness at a walk, and be kept standing about as much as possible to
teach them obedience. A lady can offer very little defence when riding a
dancing horse, but she may gain some respite by making him halt,
supposing she does not desire to trot or canter. If a steady animal
commences to dance without any exciting cause, such as the prospect of a
hunt, his bitting and girthing up should be carefully examined, as there
may be something hurting him, or the saddle may be pinching his back.
Horses which are tormented by flies are apt to dance about, in which
case it is best to trot or canter as much as possible. In India and
other tropical countries where these pests are particularly troublesome
during the hot weather, horse-hair wisps specially made for the purpose,
are carried for brushing them away.
THROWING UP THE HEAD.
If a curb be used, care should be taken that its mouthpiece is not
placed too high up in the mouth; that the chain is not too tight, in
which case it would hurt the jaw; and that the mouthpiece of the snaffle
does not press against the corners of the mouth. If there is nothing
hurting the animal's mouth, he should be ridden by a groom in a standing
martingale, at a length which will prevent him from getting his head too
high. I like the Irish plan of buckling the standing martingale to the
rings of the snaffle, better than that of attaching it to the noseband,
because it teaches the animal to "give" to the bridle, and not to lean
persistently on the noseband. The noseband method is generally adopted
by polo players. The precaution of seeing how the horse behaves when he
finds that he can no longer indulge in his favourite vice, should always
be taken before he is ridden by a lady; because at first the checking
influence of the standing martingale is sometimes resented by efforts to
rear and plunge badly. If the use of the long reins is understood, it is
better to have the horse circled and turned with them, but very few
people are capable of using them in an efficient manner. When the animal
finds himself unable to successfully resist this fixed defence and
prefers to carry his head quietly, rather than to hurt his mouth by
violently throwing his head up, he may be safely ridden by a lady in
this martingale, and she will then be able to control him. Very few
horses will fight against the martingale for any length of time, and as
this most useful article of gear is considered to be indispensable to
polo players for controlling their animals, its value to ladies who
cannot, by reason of their perched-up position in a side-saddle, lower
their hands like men, is inestimable.
HABIT-SHY.
I use this term to designate the trick that some horses, chiefly those
which are unaccustomed to the side-saddle, have of sidling away from the
skirt. A good plan is to put up a groom in a side-saddle with a rug on,
and get him to ride in circles to the left, kicking the rug about with
his foot until the horse goes collectedly, which he will generally do in
a few lessons.
JIBBING.
Jibbing, or "balking" as the Americans term it, is a detestable vice. As
a rule, it is the outcome of the knowledge an animal has acquired of his
own power. Some horses are foolishly allowed by their riders to jib
successfully. For instance, I was once riding with a lady whose animal
"planted" himself at a certain spot and refused to "budge." Instead of
trying to make him go on, his mistress wearily said that that was her
limit, and that she always took him home from it, because he did not
want to go any farther! I suggested a change of horses, but she would
not hear of it; for she said I might upset his temper and make him worse
than ever. Needless to say, the spoiled brute did precisely as he liked
with her, and as she submitted to being "bossed" in this feeble manner,
there was nothing to be done but go home every time he "wanted" to do
so. If a horse jibs and there is nothing hurting him in the saddle or
bridle, he should be shaken up sharply and ordered to go on. If he
treats that order with silent contempt, the best thing to do is to make
him turn and keep him circling until he gets tired of this performance
and will go in the required direction. It is wiser not to strike an
obstinate jibber, unless as a last resource, for further rousing his bad
temper is productive of no good result. If punishment has to be resorted
to, his rider should be able to form an idea of what defence he will be
likely to offer by way of retaliation. If he is inclined to rear, the
cuts should be given well behind the girth, and he should be kept on the
turn to the right, in order that he may not fix his hind legs, which he
would have to do in order to get up. If kicking be his speciality, they
should be applied on the shoulder, while his head is held up as high as
possible. If punishment proves ineffectual, it should be discontinued at
once, as no woman cares to be the centre of an admiring crowd while she
is engaged in a fight which, in nine cases out of ten, does more harm
than good. A man told me that he cured a bad jibber by getting off him
and throwing a lighted cracker under him; but such heroic measures had
best not be undertaken by a lady, who would be wise to hand over the
animal to a competent breaker if she wished to ride him again.
SHOULDERING.
This is a form of jibbing in which the horse tries to get rid of his
rider by pressing her against some convenient object, such as a tree or
wall. As he will naturally do this on the left side, his rider should
try to turn him to the left to make him bring her away from the object
in question. In other respects she should act as recommended in
"Jibbing."
BACKING.
This is another variety of jibbing; but it is also caused by using a
severe bit which a horse is afraid to face. If the bitting and saddling
are right, a touch with the whip given behind the girth will generally
prove effective. Sometimes a horse will deliberately back in order to
kick another. In the hunting field, mares are at times very apt to try
this trick, so care should be taken to prevent it.
PULLING.
I have found from experience that the best kind of gear in which to hold
a hard puller, who goes along with his mouth open and is so headstrong
that he will not slacken speed when required, is an ordinary double
bridle, a cavesson nose-band and a standing martingale. It is far better
for ladies, especially out hunting, to ride animals in gear in which
they are able to hold them, than to have them dashing about as they
like, and proving a source of danger, not only to their riders, but to
the rest of the field. A lady should never ride a hard puller when
hunting; but as some of us have to put up with what we can get, it is
well to fix up a difficult mount of this kind in a manner that will
keep him under control.
Some clever people assert that any horse can be held with a snaffle; but
I am certain that pullers can, as a rule, be much better controlled by a
curb, provided that it is properly put on. I have no faith in severe
bits, because the desire to pull and tear away emanates from the brain
of a horse, and if we hurt his mouth by using a severe bit, we only
succeed in making him more headstrong than ever. Most, if not all, young
horses make frantic efforts to get away after the hounds, when they are
hunted for the first few times; and, until they settle down and learn
that fences require jumping and not galloping into, it is far more
difficult to hold them without a standing martingale than with one. If a
horse is getting out of hand, even under the restraining influence of a
curb, we can generally manage to turn him with the aid of a standing
martingale, and so long as we can do that, he cannot run away, as I have
found when I have been placed in somewhat critical situations, with my
curb ineffective in preventing a headstrong youngster from urging on his
wild career under the intense excitement of his first day with hounds.
The desire which a puller has to get away would probably only occur in
the early part of the day when the starting rush is made, but if it were
successful he would bolt among a lot of horses and be almost certain to
cause an accident. A cavesson nose-band properly put on, will shut the
mouth of a puller which wants to keep it open, and will thus help the
rider to control him. If a lady possesses doubts as to her ability to
hold her horse, she should keep well away from the field, so that she
may not endanger the safety of others. It is always best to put animals
which are at all likely to pull, through a regular course of cub hunting
from the very beginning of the season, so that they may gradually work
along from the "pottering" to the galloping stage. A course of such
instruction sobers them down, and they will then give their rider far
less trouble than if they are dashed off into the excitement of
fox-hunting without having had good preliminary training. This is a fact
which ladies should bear in mind; for I have found it work very
successfully.
There is nothing like plenty of regular work for taking the nonsense out
of pulling horses. Mr. Caton, a well-known American trainer of match
trotters, whom I met in St. Petersburg, told me that he always sent his
bad pullers to do a week or two's work in one of the city tram-cars, for
they always came back with a good deal of the "stuffing" taken out of
them. Pulling is of course a very bad vice; for a pulling horse knows
well enough what his rider is asking him, through the medium of the
reins, but he shakes his head, or throws it up, if he can, as much as to
say that he will _not_ obey. A lady should not be alarmed if she finds
her mount getting out of hand; but should, if possible, let him go for a
short distance and then take a pull at him, at the same time speaking
determinedly to him, and not in a frightened tone. If the brute will not
obey, we must use severe measures, and in extreme cases, it is well to
"saw" the bit from one side to the other, in order to hurt his mouth so
much, that from very pain he must perforce yield. I believe that many
bad accidents have occurred through riders becoming frightened and
refraining from the use of force in stopping a hard puller, who is thus
allowed to run away. I think that if people could keep their heads clear
and not clutch on to the saddle and let the reins loose, or maintain a
dead hold of them, which is equally ineffective, but husband their
resources for determined attacks, very few horses would succeed in
bolting with their riders. Of course a great deal depends on the
strength of the seat of the rider; for we must sit very tight and not
let our mount feel us wobbling about in the saddle. We should never
forget the power of the voice as a factor in horse control, and our
attempts to stop a pulling animal should always be accompanied by a
sternly expressed word of command. In my travels abroad, I have ridden
some extremely bad pullers which were said to bolt with men; but
although I certainly had trouble with such animals, none of them
succeeded in running away with me and taking me where they liked. My
husband also has a similar record in this respect, so I cannot help
thinking that when a rider is actually bolted with, he or she must have
got frightened and confused at a critical moment and have allowed the
animal to literally take the reins of authority in his teeth. It
requires a good deal of physical strength to control a hard puller, and
I have had my gloves and hands badly cut in wrestling with particularly
headstrong brutes. On the other hand, some horses which have really nice
mouths, get the name of being pullers, on account of having been ridden
by "mutton-fisted" men who hang on to the reins and thus irritate them
beyond control. I am reminded of a big Australian horse, about seventeen
hands high, which Mr. Macklin, the Australian horse-shipper, brought to
Calcutta and lent me to ride in a paper-chase there. This animal carried
me perfectly, although his rough rider (more "rough" than "rider")
afterwards showed me an unjointed snaffle bent almost double, which he
said had been caused by this "pulling devil of a horse"! There is a
great deal of truth in the saying, that if you don't pull at a horse, he
won't pull at you. I am sure that many horsemen, and certainly every
riding member of my sex, will bear me out in stating that women manage
pullers far better than do men, because they do not hang on to their
mouths, in order to help them in keeping their seats. Where many women
greatly err in riding confirmed pullers, is in inability to take
sufficiently harsh measures which are needed for their control. I am
aware that there are animals, especially race-horses, which cannot be
held at all until they have gone a certain distance. The pace holds
them, but such headstrong animals tire themselves unnecessarily, and
generally have to "shut up" before the finish of a long distance race;
for the steady plodding horse will almost invariably prove the better
stayer of the two. In hunting, the pace will not always hold a horse,
because hounds may check at any moment, the start to a "holloa" may
prove a false alarm, and leaving out the uncertain behaviour of foxes, a
sudden stoppage may be caused by an impossible fence, river, railway, or
by a variety of causes which would amply prove the fallacy of the pace
holding a hard puller in the hunting field. As pulling horses are the
cause of frequent hunting accidents, I would specially caution my
readers against riding animals which they are not able to keep in hand.
If a lady is riding a good old hunter who insists on going his own pace,
she should interfere with him as little as possible, even in her desire
to steady him over bad ground and at his fences; because the large
majority of these animals have their own method of doing business, and
can be safely trusted to take care of themselves. If they are unduly
checked in galloping, they are apt to pull very hard, and greatly tire
their riders. I am, of course, alluding to good-tempered, well-made
hunters which go best with a rider who sits still on their backs and
trusts to their experience and honour.
Concerning the best kind of bridle in which to hold a puller, I cannot
do better than quote the following remarks from my husband's book,
_Riding and Hunting_:--"As regards the bitting of a puller, I would
advise that with a double bridle the curb should be put low down in the
mouth.... In all cases an unjointed snaffle is much the best form of
bit. With a double bridle we have a choice between the two. We should
bear in mind that the action of a curb is peculiarly liable to produce
insensibility of the mouth on account of its pressure being distributed
almost completely round the lower jaw, while that of the snaffle falls
only on the upper surface of the jaw. Even the jointed snaffle and the
chain snaffle leave the under surface of the jaw free from pressure, and
consequently interfere comparatively little with the circulation and
nervous supply of that part. Hence we should avoid riding even the worst
puller continuously on the curb, the action of which we should alternate
from time to time with that of the snaffle, so as to preserve the
sensibility of the jaw. It is evident that the sensibility of the mouth
is the means by which we are enabled to remain in touch with the
forehand of the horse. I would here recommend the alternative, not the
combined, employment of the curb and the snaffle." Thin bits which
irritate horses' mouths often cause them to fight and pull hard; it is
unfortunately no uncommon sight in the hunting field to see a tortured
horse bleeding from the mouth, and yet such animals are expected to
gallop and jump kindly!
REFUSING.
To jump or not to jump, that is the question with which determined
refusers have "stumped" some of the very best cross country riders. I am
reminded of an instance which occurred in India, when a fine horsewoman,
seeing a friend unable to make his mount jump in a paper-chase, which is
nearly akin to a steeple-chase, rode him herself in the next one, with
no better result, and great must have been her mortification on finding
herself left on the wrong side of the first fence which the determined
brute refused to look at, even when carrying this charming lady, to whom
many equine bad characters had yielded obedience. This appeared to be a
sheer case of equine temper and obstinacy; for the animal could jump
well when he liked, but the man or woman has yet to be born who can make
a horse jump when he has decided not to do so. I have a very strong
belief that refusers are made, not born, for every unbroken horse which
my husband had to deal with in his travels, tried his best to give
satisfaction by making an effort, even if an unscientific one, to clear
the obstacle, generally a heavy log of wood propped up on boxes, which
was offered for his consideration. If he jumped well, and in the
flippant style of a natural fencer, more boxes were produced, and
sometimes these youngsters cleared quite a respectable height in one
"lepping" lesson with me on their backs, and my husband at the end of
the long reins. The abuse of the curb at fences is the cause of, I
think, half the falls, and more than half of the refusals which we see
in the hunting field. In Ireland, where the large majority of our
hunters come from, the snaffle is the bit used in breaking and hunting,
as it is in steeple-chasing; and although our Irish neighbours find the
curb has its advantages, we must admit that they keep it in its proper
place and do not allow it to usurp the snaffle when riding over fences.
The sportsmen of Tipperary, Kildare, Cork and other parts of Ireland,
who have to negotiate immense banks, would ridicule the idea of riding
at such obstacles on the curb, because no sane person would think of
checking a horse in such a manner; and the solid "cope and dash" stone
walls of Galway also require to be taken by an animal whose mouth is not
interfered with. Here in England we see these Irish hunters frequently
ridden at fences on the curb, and the poor brutes, in order to save
their mouths and keep on their legs, throw up their heads and give a
half buck over the obstacle, landing on all fours, and then get a cut
with the whip for having jumped badly! This is how many refusers are
made. Another recipe for making a refuser is to pretend to ride hard at
a fence and, at the last moment, turn the animal's head from it, and
then loudly rate and "lambaste" him for refusing! Still another method
is to "funk" the obstacle when it is too late, and check the horse with
the curb _after_ he has made his spring, which will cause him to crash
into the middle of the fence, and probably bring both himself and his
rider to grief. My husband, being a veterinary surgeon, has had hunters
brought to him in a most pitiable state of laceration, caused, I
believe, in many cases, by "funk" and curb, a most disastrous
combination. We have in our stable at the time of writing, a very
intelligent hunter who was dreadfully injured from having, it is said,
"jumped bang into a fence," but I wish that patient sufferer could tell
me the real cause of his accident. It was one of those crumpling falls
which seem to mean death to both horse and rider, but luckily in this
case, the rider escaped with a few bruises and a smashed hat. The horse
was also fortunate in a way, as no bones were broken; but the skin and
flesh of his near fore-leg were torn off from almost the shoulder to the
knee, and I wondered, as I looked on that gaping, bleeding wound, and
the poor animal quivering with pain and hardly able to bear even placing
the tip of his toe on the ground, if he would ever have the courage to
face a fence again. Luckily, he is all right now.
I have heard people talk about a "good fall" being the best means for
teaching horses how to jump, and there is a certain modicum of truth in
this, especially with young horses, and young horsemen too for that
matter; but when an old hunter gets a "bad" fall, I doubt whether he
ever recovers his jumping form again, any more than we ourselves who may
have come an awful "buster" after we have reached the "age of
discretion." Horses frequently refuse on account of some physical
infirmity. Unsoundness in one or both fore legs naturally makes a horse
chary of jumping, because of the painful jar which he will receive on
landing, when he is obliged to place his entire weight on his fore legs.
Then again, if his feet are not in a hard and sound condition, he
"funks" the pain of landing over a fence and tries his best to avoid
jumping. Many unsound horses, generally hirelings, are hammered along
out hunting, especially on roads, with most inconsiderate cruelty. I
once tried to hunt on a hireling which, I soon saw, was not in a fit
state to carry me without pain. Had I insisted on having my money's
worth out of the animal, it would have been nothing short of gross
cruelty. His fore legs were bandaged, as is usual with hired mounts, and
he galloped and jumped several small fences soundly, as far as I could
feel; but when he came to a rather formidable one, he stopped and tried
to rear. I at once found an easier means of egress, which took me for a
short distance on a road, and the hard ground of only about 20 yards
seemed to tell so much on one leg, that I felt him going decidedly
short, pulled him up and walked him home. When I arrived in Melton
Mowbray, a lady, the last person in the world whom I would have cared to
meet, hailed me with the news that Miss So-and-so had broken her
collar-bone, a fact which appeared to give her more pleasure than
sorrow, "and you" she said, "have lamed your horse"! The dealer
evidently expected this result; for when I rode the horse into his
yard, so that I might personally explain things to him, he told me that
the animal, which was only a four year old, had been "ridden very hard"
by an officer, who, I am sorry to say, has since lost his life in South
Africa. The dealer tried his best to make amends by subsequently
offering me another mount for nothing; but he certainly did err in
letting out this young unsound animal, and spoiling my day's sport, for
which I had paid the usual guineas. My only regret in the matter is that
I galloped and jumped an animal which was not in a fit state to perform
such work.
Horses are frequently rendered refusers by being repeatedly jumped over
the same fence, until they get so disgusted with the performance that
they will have no more of it. Spurs and whip then come into play and
make matters worse. Even if the animal jumps the fence after a good deal
of unnecessary fighting, the memory of this unjust punishment remains in
his mind, and is productive of the violent agitation which such horses
exhibit on being taken near a jump. It is a wise plan to stop a
"lepping" lesson immediately after the horse has cleared the jump in
good style, and then make much of him (patting him on the neck and
speaking kindly to him). Punishing horses at fences with whip and spur
renders them afraid to face their jumps; because they think that they
will be knocked about, even when they are trying their best to give
satisfaction. Many faulty and bad tempered riders are unnecessarily
cruel in this respect. If a horse refuses from seeing an animal fall in
front of him, his natural prudence should not be taken as a personal
affront, but he should be spoken to and encouraged to try, preferably,
if possible, after another horse has got safely over the obstacle, if
there is no other part of the fence negotiable. I think that by dint of
patience and tactful management, many refusers may be taught to repose
sufficient confidence in their riders to make an effort when required,
but that can be done only by gentle means and easy tasks. Old tricky
offenders cannot be cured of this or any other vice. A lady who is
hunting on a doubtful jumper should be careful not to upset other horses
by letting her refuser perform in front of them, but should show
consideration for her companions by keeping a backward place, supposing
that several horses are taking their turn at jumping the only
practicable part in a fence. Refusers are detested in the hunting field,
and a lady whose hunter is known to shirk his fences and stir up equine
rebellion, is soon classed among the large number of those who never
will be missed.
BORING.
Horses are said to bore when they carry their heads down and lean
heavily on the bit or bear on it to one side. As both the curb and
Pelham have a tendency to make a horse carry his head low, they should
not, as a rule, be used with a borer. The rider might make the animal
keep his head in proper position by playing with the snaffle, the
cheekpieces of the bridle of which may be shortened, so that the
mouthpiece may press against the corners of the mouth and thus induce
him to keep up his head. The same effect can be obtained with the gag
snaffle, which has the advantage that, when one's object is gained, one
can ease off the gag reins and take up the other reins, which are used
in the ordinary manner. When a horse bores to one side, or when he bores
with his head stuck straight out, the standing martingale will often be
useful for correcting this unpleasant fault. I have seen in trotting
matches a bearing-rein (called in America an "over-draw check-rein")
passing between the animal's ears, going down the top of his head and
attached to the pommel of the saddle, effectively employed to correct
this fault. It would, of course, be too unsightly to be used by a lady,
but her groom might employ it advantageously in teaching a borer to
carry his head in correct position.
KICKING.
If practicable, we should first of all see that the saddle does not hurt
the horse in any way. If this be all right, we may "shake him up" with
the snaffle reins and make him carry his head high. If this be not
effective, he should be given a few cuts with the whip on the
_shoulder_. Making him hold up his head and touching him on the shoulder
are done to "lighten" his forehand, and to put more weight on his hind
quarters. Also, we may with much advantage give him some practice at
reining back, within judicious limits, either when we are in the saddle,
or with the long reins. When a horse starts kicking, the rider should
take a strong grip of her crutches and lean back, as far as she is able,
while holding his head up, and thus prevent herself from being thrown
over his head. The most awkward kicker I ever rode was a mountain Zebra
(Fig. 146), which my husband broke in at Calcutta. He kicked very neatly
without lowering his head, and, as the slightest touch on his ears drove
him nearly out of his mind, I had great difficulty in avoiding them, as
he kicked with a sort of peculiar wriggle which complicated the
performance for me, because I had had no practice on a kicking zebra,
and had to pick up my knowledge as I went on. It was no use trying to
rein _him_ back; for he had a neck like a bull, with a small rudimentary
dewlap, and at every kick he gave, he made a noise like a pig grunting.
His skin was the best part about him, and was as lovely and soft to the
touch as the finest sealskin. As I believe I am the only woman who has
ridden a mountain zebra, this photograph is probably unique. It ought to
be a better one, seeing the trouble I took to make my obstinate mount
stand still; but he seemed to regard the camera as an infernal machine
destined for his destruction, and flatly refused to pose nicely for his
portrait. He was far too neck-strong to make a pleasant mount for a
lady. Kickers, as I have already said, should never be taken into any
hunting field.
[Illustration: Fig. 146.--Riding mountain zebra.]
BUCK-JUMPING.
Under this heading I shall include the minor vices of plunging and
"pig-jumping." Bucking is all but unknown among English and Eastern
horses, but is seen to its highest perfection among Australian and New
Zealand animals, especially those that have been allowed their liberty
up to a comparatively late period of life, say, four years old. I have
ridden some buck-jumping Argentine horses which were expert performers:
many of the wild Russian steppe horses are very bad buck-jumpers. Some
English horses, especially thoroughbreds, can give a very fair
imitation of this foreign equine accomplishment. I remember riding a
steeple-chase horse called Emigrant, which placed quite enough strain
both on me and my girths when he was first called upon to carry a
side-saddle. If a horse has any buck in him, the side-saddle will be
almost certain to bring it out; for with it the animal requires to be
girthed up extra tightly; the balance strap "tickles and revolts" him,
the lady's weight is farther back than on a man's saddle, and the
unusual feeling of carrying a rider whose legs are placed on one side,
tends to irritate a highly sensitive horse. If an animal, on being
saddled, gets his "back up," he should not be mounted until this certain
indication of the buck that is in him has been removed, which may be
done by either circling him with the long reins, or letting a groom run
him about a little until his back goes down. A cold saddle and a chilly
day will often cause a horse to come out of his stable with his back in
bucking position, and, unless a lady knows her animal well, it is best
to get it down before she mounts, because he may buck as she is in the
act of placing her right leg over the crutch--a part of mounting which
animals that are unaccustomed to it greatly dislike, as, I suppose, they
think she is going to give them a kick on the head!
As I used to do the rough-riding for my husband on his horse-breaking
tours in various countries, I have had to sit a good many buck-jumpers,
and, am thankful to say, I never got thrown, because, from what I have
seen of men being catapulted and placed on the flat of their backs on
the ground, this kind of fall must be, as Jorrocks would say, "a hawful
thing." The great difficulty in sitting a buck-jumper consists in
keeping the body from being jerked forward in the saddle, and slackening
the reins the moment the animal makes a vicious downward snatch at them,
by ducking his head; for if the rider hangs on to his head, he will pull
her forward by means of the reins, and she will be unable to sit the
buck which will follow. All confirmed buck-jumpers look out for this
opportunity whenever the rider draws the reins tightly. Ladies who ride
with the right leg hooked back would not be able to sit a buck-jumper;
for I found that the chief means which prevented me from being thrown
was the ability to lean back, which the forward position of my right leg
gave me. When riding bad horses at my husband's classes, I was able to
see beforehand what special defence such animals offered, and was,
therefore, prepared to cope with them; but I have been taken unawares
when mounted on Australian horses which dealers in India have lent me,
when they have wanted to sell such animals as having carried a lady. I
remember one very handsome Waler, which went like a lamb with me until
suddenly, when cantering quietly along, he took it into his head to try
and buck me off. He did his best to accomplish his purpose, and was
encouraged in his efforts by my pith hat coming off and flopping about
my head. I wished the thing could have fallen, but it was held by the
elastic--we wore our hair in plaits at the nape of the neck in those
days--and I had securely pinned the elastic with hairpins under my
hair. This great wobbling hat only caused the horse to buck worse than
ever, until he tired of his performance and came to a sudden halt. I was
greatly exhausted, and suffering from mental tension, because I was
entirely unprepared for this attack, and doubted the security of my
stronghold, for the girths of my saddle had seen a lot of service, and
the strain on them, caused by the violent bucking of this powerful
sixteen-hand animal, was very great.
The bigger a horse is, the more difficult he is to sit when he bucks
badly, because he can put much more force into the performance than a
small animal, and he shakes the breath out of one much sooner. It is
lucky for us that a wise providence has placed a limit on a horse's
bucking capabilities. I think that ten or twelve bucks, given in good
style and without an interval for recuperation, is about as much as any
horse can do, but possibly my Australian readers can give statistics on
this point. I hope I am not offending them in saying that Australian
horses are the most accomplished buck-jumpers I have met. Australian
shippers send many of them over to India, and rely on the long sea
voyage to quieten them down, which it does to a certain extent. Mr.
Macklin, an Australian importer, told me that a horse-carrying ship was
wrecked on some part of the coast, an island, I believe, between
Australia and India, and that there is a big colony of wild horses to be
picked up by anyone who will go and take them. I like Australian
horses, because they are excellent jumpers, have beautiful shoulders
and are remarkably sound in wind and limb. They are moreover handsome
breedy looking animals, and those of them which are addicted to bucking,
soon give up this vice, if ridden by capable people.
A lady who finds herself on a bucking horse should try her best to keep
both her head and her seat, and not be in any way disconcerted by
hearing the angry grunts which such animals often give with each buck
they make to get her off. She should lean back and firmly grip her
crutches as in sitting over a fence, and should try to imagine that she
is jumping a line of obstacles placed close together. If she feels any
forward displacement after one buck, she must hastily get into position
to be ready for the next one, without pausing for a moment to think,
because there will be no time for thought, and her recovery of balance
must be done automatically, while the animal is doubling himself up for
his next buck. If her hat, which is generally the first thing to leave
the saddle, flies off, no notice must be taken, because the instant the
rider devotes her attention to anything else but sticking on, she
relaxes her grip and stands a good chance of being thrown. The most
difficult of all bucking I have experienced was when hunting in
Leicestershire on a young Argentine mare, which started to buck when we
were galloping down hill over deep ridge and furrow. I knew her bucking
propensities, because my husband broke her in and I had had a good deal
of bucking practice with her, so I was able to remain, but that down
hill ridge and furrow performance was extremely hard to sit. Like most
young animals, she hated ridge and furrow, and her temper was upset on
finding that she had to gallop down hill over this troublesome ground.
The necessity of devoting careful attention to the soundness of the
girth-tugs, stirrup-leather, and balance-strap when riding a horse which
is likely to buck is obvious, for of course if they give way under the
strain, no lady would be able to retain her seat.
REARING.
Rearing is the worst of all vices in a horse which has to carry a
side-saddle, because a lady, by reason of her side position and her
inability to lower her hands to the same extent as a man, is utterly
powerless on a rearer. I have seen men slip off over the animal's tail,
when he was standing on his hind legs, but this is a feat which a woman
is unable to accomplish, as I found when a horse reared and came over
with me at Tientsin in China, and hurt my spine so much that I felt its
effects for several years afterwards, especially after a hard day's
hunting, or a long swim. Swimming appears to tax the soundness of the
spinal bones quite as much as does riding. The best thing to do with a
rearer is to prevent him from fixing his hind legs, which he would have
to do before he can get up, and therefore a long whip should be used,
and the animal touched with it as near the hocks as possible, keeping
him at the same time on the turn to the right. Confirmed rearers are
however so quick in getting up on their hind legs, that the rider has no
time, even were she supplied with a sufficiently long whip, to get
anywhere near his hocks, and all she can do is to lean well forward and
leave his mouth alone. If she is still alive when he comes down, my
strong advice would be to get off his back, and give him, as the late
Mr. Abingdon Baird did in the case of a similar brute, to the first
passer by! Rearing is no test of horsemanship, and the sickening sight
of ladies in circuses mounted on rearers is one from which every good
horsewoman would recoil with horror. At Rentz circus in Hamburg I saw
one of these awful sights, and noticed that the ringmaster kept touching
the _steiger_ on the fore-legs with the whip in order to make him paw
the air. I have been told that so long as a rearing horse keeps pawing
in this manner, he will not fall over, but such horrid exhibitions ought
to be prevented. There is nothing more trying to the nerves of any rider
than hunting on a refuser which has a tendency to rear, and I have known
ladies whose nerves have been utterly shattered in their efforts to
govern such dangerous brutes. Take my advice ladies and have nothing to
do with these animals; for it is far easier to get rid of a horse than
it is to recover one's nerve, and the longer a lady tries to wrestle
with a rearer, the more difficulty will she have in overcoming the
strain on her nervous system. I would not take a rearing horse at a
gift, for such animals can never be made sufficiently reliable for any
woman to ride. Horses sometimes learn this detestable vice from others.
I once had an animal in Calcutta which began rearing with me without any
known cause, and I was greatly mystified about his behaviour until one
day I saw my syce, who was exercising him, in company with a native on a
horse which was rearing badly, while my mount was imitating him, a
performance which I subsequently discovered had been going on daily for
some time. If a previously quiet horse suddenly starts a new form of
playing up, the riding of the groom or person who has been exercising
and handling him should be carefully watched, and no animal which is
known to be unsteady should be allowed to teach his bad tricks to a
lady's mount, for we know that horses very quickly pick up bad habits
from each other. Baron de Vaux, in his book _Ecuyers et Ecuyeres_, tells
us that Emilie Loisset, who was a brilliant high school rider, was
killed by a rearer coming over with her. He says:--"_Elle souffrait
beaucoup, car la fourche de la selle lui avait perfore les intestins.
Apres deux jours de douleurs horribles, la pauvre Emilie Loisset rendit
le dernier soupir, surprise par la mort en pleine jeunesse et en plein
succes._" The animal she rode is described as _d'origine irlandaise et
de mauvais coeur_.