Walker's manly exercises / Containing rowing, sailing, riding, driving, racing, hunting, shooting, and other manly sports

by Donald Walker

When a horse is addicted to stumbling, rearing, kicking and bolting, plunging, shying and restiveness, the seat is maintained as in leaps; and the arms are held firm to the body, the hands kept up, and the reins separate, rather short than otherwise. By these means, the horse’s head being raised, he can with less ease either rear or kick, because, for such purposes, he must have his head at liberty. It is fortunate that horses which rear high seldom kick, and vice versâ.

On these occasions, the first operation of the rider is to separate the reins, &c. The body must be kept upright, but flexible, to repel every effort the horse may make; the balance must be preserved by the muscles of the thighs; the legs are to be kept near the horse, but not to grasp till absolutely necessary. When he lifts his fore legs, the breech must be thrust out behind, by which the rider is prepared if he rears. As the fore feet come to the ground, the breech must be slipped under, which prepares for his kicking or springing forward; the legs being then in a situation to grasp, and the hands to keep a firm hold. In all displays of vice, the rider should first see that the saddle or girths do not pinch the horse, that the bit does not hurt his lips by being too high in his mouth, &c.

Stumbling.

By the rider pressing his legs to the horse’s flanks, and keeping up his head, he may be made to go light on his fore legs; and the same should be done if he actually stumble, so as to afford him instant assistance. Hence it is evident that the bridle should be of such length in the hand, that, in case of stumbling, the rider may be thus able to raise the horse’s head by the strength of his arms and the weight of his body thrown backward. If the rein be too long, it is evident that, in effecting this manœuvre, the rider is in danger of falling backward as the horse rises. By thus pressing the legs to the horse’s sides, he may be made to keep his haunches under him in going down hill, or may be helped on the side of a bank.

Rearing.

The principal danger in rearing is the hazard of the horse’s falling backwards. When, therefore, he rises straight up, the rider must throw his body forward, giving him all the bridle. The weight of the body will oblige him to come down; and the moment that his fore feet are near the ground, and before he touches it, both the spurs must be given him as firmly and as quickly as possible.

Another mode of subduing him is, whenever the rider is aware of the horse’s disposition to rear, to have the reins separated; and the instant he perceives him going to rise, to slack one hand and bend him with the other, keeping the hand low. This compels him to move a hind leg, and being thrown off his balance, he necessarily comes down with his fore feet. He should then be twisted round two or three times, to convince him of the rider’s superiority, which confuses, baffles, and deters him from rearing to any dangerous height. To break horses of this dangerous vice, it has been sometimes expedient to leap from them, and pull them backwards. This so frightens them that they are wary of giving the opportunity again. It is, however, an expedient to be attempted only at a particular crisis, and by persons perfectly collected, active, and agile.[71]

[71] On this subject, an anonymous writer, in answer to a query, says, “I would advise you by no means to try the experiment in question, either as operator yourself, or on your own horse. At all events, pray make trial first of the following prescription, which will in most cases be found an excellent preventive, if not a total cure, of the propensity complained of, and which has the advantage over the method respecting which you inquire, of being much easier and safer in its application, and, I may perhaps add, surer in its effects, and less expensive on the whole.

“Get a strong thick curb bit, with a good deep port reversed—that is, the curve of the mouth-piece must project towards the outside of the horse’s mouth, and not inwardly towards his throat, as in the common port bit. The thickness and exact curve of the bit should be calculated according to the size, strength, and hardness of mouth of the animal for which it is intended. For a very hard-mouthed horse, the bit should be made with a very deep port, and as thin as possible, consistently with the strength requisite.

“In nine cases out of ten, 1 have found that confirmed rearers are tender-mouthed, and the habit has been probably induced by their being bitted and handled too severely. A martingale will be found a useful addition to the bit I have described. Its full efficacy can only be sufficiently appreciated by its being used several times, till the horse has become in some degree accustomed to it.”