The horse generally commences his attack by stopping, turning short round, mostly to the right hand, as taking the rider to the greatest disadvantage. He expects the rider will oppose the opposite hand, designedly attacks the weakest, and is so prepared against its efforts that it is vain to attempt them. It must be the rider’s rule never to contend with the horse on that point on which he is prepared to resist.
Instead, therefore, of attempting to prevent the horse with his left hand, the rider must attack him with his right, turn him completely round, so that his head is again presented the right way, and then apply the whip. If he turns round again, the rider must still attack his unguarded side, turn him two or three times, and let the heel and spur, if necessary, assist the hand, before he can arm or defend himself against it.
If he still refuse to go the right way, the rider must take care that he go no other, and immediately change his attack, turning him about and reining him backward, which the horse is easily compelled to do when he sets himself against going forward. In these contests, the rider must be collected, and have an eye to the surrounding objects; for restive horses try their utmost to place their riders in awkward situations, by sidling to other horses, carriages, the foot-pavement, the houses, &c.
In this case, the rider, instead of pulling him from the wall, must bend his head to it, by which his side next the wall is rendered concave, and his utmost endeavours to do injury are prevented. The instant, therefore, that the rider perceives his horse sidling to any object, he must turn his head to that object, and back him from it.
There are some horses who fix themselves like stocks, setting all endeavours to move them at defiance. There, happily, their defence can in no way endanger the rider. It must, however, be converted to punishment. Let them stand, make no attempt to move them, and in a short space—frequently less than a minute—they will move of themselves.
When these various defences, however, are not powerfully set up, the general rule is to push the horse forward; and, for this purpose, at first to make use of the switch, as it alarms him least, for the spurs surprise a horse, abate his courage, and are likely to make him restive. Indeed, the application of the whip or spurs, except to shift the croupe, or give efficacy to the hands, is of little use; and to repeat either, to make a restive horse go forward, is certainly wrong. When passion possesses the rider, it prevents that concord and unity taking place which ever should subsist between the rider and his horse. He should always be disposed to amity, and never suffer the most obstinate resistance of the horse to put him out of temper. If the contest does not demand his utmost exertion of strength, he should be able to hum a tune, or converse with the same composure and indifference as though his horse were all obedience. By these means, the instant a horse finds himself foiled, he desists, having no provocation to contend farther, and is abashed at his own weakness. It is the absence of passion which, added to cool observation, makes the English the best riders and drivers in the world.
TREATMENT OF THE HORSE.
Stables are generally too dark and too hot. They should be kept quite cool, though without any draughts.
“A way,” says De Beranger, in Helps and Hints, “of making the most of your horses, is to rise early in the summer, in order to do half your day’s work before the heat of the day; for lying by the whole of the rest of the day, not only affords a traveller time and opportunity for examining what is worthy of being seen, but enables him to start with horses quite fresh, and to finish the remaining stage after sunset: not only will your horses go through their task with less labour in the cool of the evening, but you will find them travel more freely towards a resting-place, which darkness leads them to expect.”
A horse ought not to be ridden a stage while in physic, nor on the day of its coming off. If he be pushed at first setting out on a journey, or be compelled to make long stages, or be deprived of his customary baits, he gets jaded, and every additional mile adds to his uneasiness. Moreover, at setting out in the morning, a well-kept horse is necessarily full of food, and consequently, until his great gut be properly emptied, brisk action occasions uneasiness or pain, which causes restlessness.