Resistances of the horse.
In all the best riding-schools of Europe two posts are firmly fixed into
the ground, parallel with and about twenty paces from one of the short
sides of the school. These are called pillars, and between them is
fastened a horse who is trained to rear or to kick at command, in order
that the teacher may explain to his pupils what they must do when they
encounter one or other of these resistances. These pillars are almost
unknown in riding-schools in this country, and the reason of their
absence may be found, I think, in the moral qualities of the American
horse, which are really astonishing when looked at from the point of
view of animal character.
A teacher should, however, give his pupils some instructions about the
most common tricks or vices of the horse, which are usually only
defensive action on his part. Before any active form of resistance, the
horse always makes a well-marked pause; for instance, in order to rear,
he stops his motion forward, draws his hind legs under him, throws his
weight on them, and lifts his fore legs from the ground, holding his
head high. When he is almost upright on his hind legs, he stands for a
longer or shorter time, moving his fore feet as if beating the air, and
then either comes down to earth again or falls backward, which is
acknowledged to be the most dangerous thing which can happen on
horseback. If the rider feels that her horse is on the point of going
over with her, she must instantly slip her foot out of the stirrup,
loosen the hold of her leg on the pommel, and lean as far to the right
as she can, turning her body to the left in order to fall on the right
of the horse, who almost always falls to the left, and, as soon as she
is on the ground, she must scramble away from her horse as quickly as
possible.
The best way of preventing a horse from rearing is not allowing him to
stop; and, if it should be too late or too difficult to manage this, all
effects of the hands should stop at once, and the rider should attack
his right flank with her whip vigorously. If a horse rears habitually,
he should be got rid of.
In order to kick, on the contrary, the horse braces himself with his
fore legs, lifting his hind quarters by a contraction of his hind legs;
and, when his croup is in the air, he kicks as hard as he can with his
hind legs, and brings them suddenly to the ground again, holding his
head low and sticking out his neck meanwhile.
An inexperienced rider may be frightened by the shock of this movement,
which is very disagreeable, besides being dangerous to people behind;
but, with calm presence of mind and a little energy, this trick may be
fought without too much annoyance. In this case also the great thing is
to hinder the horse from stopping, by keeping his head up; and, if, in
spite of the rider, he gets it down and his legs braced in front of him,
she should lean very far back and strike one or two vigorous blows with
her whip on the lower part of the neck where it joins the chest, trying
at the same time to lift the head with the reins.
Some teachers recommend using the whip on the flank, as in rearing, and
I usually do this myself; but I have always noticed that the horse kicks
again at least once while going forward; so I do not recommend this for
a lady.
In bucking, the horse puts his head down, stiffens his fore legs, draws
his hind legs somewhat under him, and jumps forward, coming down on all
four feet at once, and jumping again almost immediately.
Without being particularly dangerous, this vice is very unpleasant, as
it jars the rider terribly. To neutralize the shock, therefore, as much
as she can, she must sit very far back, lean her body back, lift her
hands vigorously, and try to make her horse go forward and slightly to
the right.
When a horse refuses to slacken his pace, or to stop when his
rider wishes it, he is running away with her, and he does this
progressively--that is, if he is at a walk he will not stop when he
feels the bit, but shakes his head, quickens his pace to a trot, throws
his head into the air, or holds it down, bearing against the bit,
breaks into a gallop, and goes faster and faster until he is at full
speed; and, once arrived at this point, he is quite capable of running
straight into a wall or jumping over a precipice.
Some high authorities maintain that this state of the horse is one of
temporary insanity; and this theory is admissible in certain cases
where, when the animal is stopped, the nostrils are found to be very red
and the eyes bloodshot; but, in most cases, horses run away through
sudden fright, or from fear of punishment, or because they are in pain
from one cause or another. When a horse is subject to this fault, his
rider should give him to a man, either a skilled amateur or a
professional rider, as I have seen very few ladies who could undertake
the proper treatment without danger.
Such a horse being put into my hands for training, I take him to some
place where the footing is good and where he can have plenty of space,
which means plenty of time for me; and, once there, I provoke him to run
away, in order that I may find out why he does so. If he fights against
my hand, shuts his mouth, or throws his head in the air, as soon as he
has stopped I carefully examine his mouth, his throat, his breathing,
his sight, his loins, and his houghs. Sometimes the mouth is without
saliva, the lips are rough and irritated, the bars are dry, bruised, and
even cut; and in that case I try to see whether the bad habit does not
come from severe bitting, or too tight a curb-chain, or perhaps the
teeth may be in bad order. A few flexions of the jaw and neck will tell
me at once if the mouth is the cause of the trouble; but I must make
sure that this bad state of the mouth is the cause, and not the
consequence.
The sight of a horse is often defective; the sun in his eyes dazzles and
frightens him; or else a defective lens makes objects appear larger to
him than they really are; or he may be near-sighted, and consequently
nervous about what he can not see; and a moving bird, or a bit of
floating paper, is enough to make him bolt.
Sometimes the throat is sore inside, and then the horse suffers from the
effect of the bit on the extremity of his neck when he gives his head.
Bolting is often caused by suffering in some internal organ; and in that
case the breathing is apt to be oppressed.
But in seven cases out of ten the cause of a horse's running away is to
be found in his hind quarters. The loins are too long, weak, and
ill-attached, so that when he carries a heavy weight the spinal column
feels an insupportable pain. What man would not become mad if he were
forced to walk, trot, and gallop, carrying a weight which caused him
frightful suffering? The remembrance of an old wound made by the saddle
is sometimes enough to cause a nervous and sensitive animal to bolt. The
legs are sometimes beginning to throw out curbs or spavins, or they may
be too straight and narrow, lacking the strength necessary to carry the
horse at a regular gait; so he suffers, loses his head, and runs away.
We will suppose the horse to be well-proportioned, with his sight and
organs in a normal condition, his mouth only being hurt as a
consequence, not as a cause. I change the bit, and substitute an easier
one, treating the mouth meanwhile with salt, or alum, or marsh-mallow;
and yet my horse still runs away. In that case it is from one of two
reasons: either it is from memory and as a habit, or else it is the
result of ill-temper. If the former, I take him to some spot where I can
have plenty of space and time, preferably a sea-beach with soft sand, or
a large ploughed field; and there I let him go, stopping when he stops,
and then making him go on again, and in this way he soon learns that
submission is the easiest way for him. If he should be really
ill-tempered, I would mount him in the same place with sharp spurs and a
good whip, and before long his moral condition would be much more
satisfactory.
But often a horse takes fright and runs away when one least expects it.
Allow me to say that nothing which a horse can do should ever be
unexpected. On horseback one should be ready for emergencies; and the
best way to avoid them is to prevent the horse from a dangerous
initiative. Besides, the horse does not get to his full speed at once;
and, if the rider keeps calm, she will probably be able to master him
before he reaches it. But, if, in spite of herself, her horse is running
at a frightful pace, what should be done? In the first place, she must
try to see that he does not slip and fall; and, in any case, she should
take her foot out of the stirrup, let her whip drop if necessary, choose
at once a straight line, if that be possible, and give to her horse with
hands and leg, calming him with the voice, and speaking loud, in order
that it may reach his ear. She should endeavor to remain calm, and to
take long breaths; then, when his first rush is over, she should lift
her wrists, holding the reins short, lean very far back, and saw his
mouth vigorously with the bridle, two reins being in either hand.
"Sawing" is the successive action of the two hands acting separately on
the mouth of the horse, and, by pulling his head from side to side, it
throws him out of his stride and checks his speed. I can not say too
often that it is easier to prevent a horse from running away than it is
to stop him when he is once fairly off.
It would be very difficult to foresee all the possible defensive actions
of the horse and the means of counteracting them; but, as the rider
gains experience, she will get to recognize these actions from the
outset, and counteract them so naturally that she will scarcely think
about it. To a good rider there is no such thing as a restive horse. The
animal either knows what to do, or he does not. If he knows, the rider,
by the power of her effects, forces the horse to obey; if he does not
know, the rider trains him. If a horse resists, there is always a cause;
and that cause should be sought and destroyed, after which the horse
will ask no better than to behave himself.
If a horse fidgets and frets to get back to the stable (which is a
common and annoying trick), he should be turned round and walked for a
moment or two in an opposite direction, away from home, and in a
fortnight he will have lost the bad habit.
Horses often have a trick of fighting the hand by running out their
heads and trying to pull the reins through the fingers of their riders.
This comes from stiffness in the hind quarters, and will stop as soon as
the horse has been taught, by progressive flexions, to keep his hind
legs under him.
A timid horse may always be reassured and quieted by a persevering
rider, provided his sight is not bad; and he should never be punished
for shying, as that comes from fright; he should be allowed time to get
used to the sight or sound of a terrifying object, and, when he is
convinced that it will not hurt him, he will disregard it in future, as,
although timid, he is not a coward. For instance: if a horse shies at a
gnarled stump in a country lane, his rider should stop and let him come
slowly up to it, which he will do with every appearance of fear. She
should cheer him with her voice, and caress him with her hand; and, when
once he has come near enough to smell the dreaded shape, he will give a
contemptuous sniff, and never notice it after.
If a horse should fall with his rider, she should at once slip her foot
out of the stirrup, lift her right leg over the pommel, and turn her
body quickly to the left. If the horse falls to the right, she will fall
on him, which will deaden the shock, and, as his legs will be on the
left, she can get away from his feet easily; if he falls to the left,
she must try to let her head fall to the right, and, if she has time,
she will attempt to fall to the left, on her knees, and must get away
from the horse on her hands and knees with all speed.
If she should be thrown from her saddle, she must not stiffen herself,
and must keep her head as high as possible.
CONCLUSION.
Before closing this slight treatise, I would most respectfully say a
parting word to the ladies for whose use I have prepared it.
The principle of the proper control of a horse by a lady may be thus
roughly summed up: Keep him well under your control, but also keep him
going forward; _carry_ him forward with the pressure of your left leg
and with the whip, which must take the place of the right leg. Never let
a horse take a step at his own will; and, as soon as he shows the first
sign of resistance, try to counteract it. Great care and tact must be
used to avoid sudden changes of gait, which irritate a horse by throwing
him off his balance and measure; and he should never be teased with the
whip and spur in order that he may prance and fidget, for such
foolishness on horseback proves nothing, and is only fit to amuse
ignorant spectators.
Be prudent; accidents always happen too soon. Be calm, if you wish your
horse to be so. Be just, and he will submit to your will. Remember that,
in riding, the greatest beauty consists in being simple in your means of
control; do not appear to be always occupied with your horse, for you
and he should seem to have the same will.
Do not read or study one method only; there is good to be found in all.
THE END.
HYGIENE FOR GIRLS.
By IRENAEUS P. DAVIS, M. D.
_18mo. Cloth, $1.25._
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End of Project Gutenberg's Hand-book for Horsewomen, by H. L. De Bussigny