horse's head and neck to the required position demands a certain amount of fixity of the spinal column, for the work to be done by the arms brings into play the muscles of the entire back. The rider that comes into antagonism with his horse is only, then, safe in his seat when his own centres of gravity and motion fall in the same perpendicular line with the horse's centre of motion, otherwise he will have to contend with the centrifugal motion by dint of muscular exertion alone.

Now, for a man standing upright, the centre of gravity is in the perpendicular from the base of the skull, and the centre of motion is at the point where this line intersects a horizontal line drawn through both hip-joints. If the rider sits upright, on his "triangle” (as explained above), and in the middle of his saddle, this being in the right place, his legs will, unless the stirrups obstruct, come of themselves into such a position that his own centres of gravity and motion will be directly over and very close to the centre of motion of the horse. What Englishmen are pleased to call "a stuck-up seat" may be the result, perhaps, especially if the rider be awkward; but it is not a question of taste or fashion, but of attaining certain definite objects which remain otherwise unattainable; for no one will pretend that the position assumed by the hunting man for the purpose of making his horse throw its weight on the fore legs, with its head and neck well down and extended, can also serve the exactly opposite purpose we have in view in the correction of vicious animals.

A word with regard to the whip and its use will not be out of place. The effect of this instrument depends altogether on the part of the horse's body to which it

is applied, and the way in which it is used. One or two strokes given at the proper moment, and in the right place, will sometimes work wonders, whilst a severe flogging almost always does mischief. It has been pointed out that, in lounging, the whip may be made to do the work which the rider does with his legs and spurs, and that, for this purpose, it should always be applied under the horse's chest, about where the girth lies, and never to the buttocks or hind legs, as this usually ends in kicking. The same rule applies equally to the riding-whip; but this may be also used to great advantage on the horse's shoulders-as, for instance, in cases where the horse is preparing to rearthe effect being to unfix its fore legs from the ground and make it put them forward, just as, when applied under the belly, it brings the hind legs in the same direction. Therefore it is absurd, when a horse defends itself by gathering its legs under it, to strike it under the belly, whereas one or two strokes smartly applied to the shoulders may probably have the effect of getting the fore legs stretched ahead. The promptness and rapidity with which the stroke is given, wherever applied, determines, to a great extent, its value; for if the horse sees it coming, it will flinch away if possible, just as it does from a far-fetched stab with the spur; and it can do this much more easily with the hind quarters than with its forehand, which is precisely the reason why a flogging—that is, repeated blows aimed at the same place-is generally useless, to say the least, whilst one or two on the shoulders tell at once. The manner of holding the whip or rod has much to do with this. We have often been amused at hearing would-be sportsmen turn Continental

riders to ridicule for holding their whips or switches with the point upwards, as if they only wanted to imitate a sabre, whereas this is in reality the position from which a quick smart stroke on the shoulders can be most effectually applied; for if the point be held downwards, it must be first brought up, and then again down, so that it probably comes too late.

CHAPTER III.

SPECIAL FORMS OF RESTIVENESS.

In the preceding chapter the general method of treating restiveness has been sketched in outline; what is there put forward will be found applicable to nearly all cases, and also suffice for the cure of most forms of disobedience. There are, however, some others which, in addition, require special methods of treatment, especially when they have become inveterate; and these are -bolting or running away, bucking or plunging, rearing, and kicking.

Bolting. The first step to be taken is to ascertain why the horse bolts. A nervous and excitable temperament is sometimes the cause, and the only remedy will be quiet and judicious treatment. Much more frequently, however, bolting is resorted to by horses that have some physical defect or peculiarity of conformation, as a means of avoiding what gives them great pain; in fact, it is frequently rather an effort of despair than anything else, and an evidence that something has been demanded of the animal that was beyond its strength.

Fig. 7 shows the heads and necks of two runaway horses; in the one case the animal's nose is poked straight out in the other, the chin comes back so as nearly to touch the breast; in both it escapes alto

gether the action of the mouthpiece; but the difference of position assumed points to a corresponding difference of conformation. The undermost figure shows that the way in which the head is set on the neck, and the build of both, offer no obstacle in them-selves; and the presumption is, therefore, that there is something weak or defective in the loins, hind quarters, or legs. On the other hand, in the upper figure there is evidence that such obstacles do exist in the head and neck, the hind quarters being, perhaps, very powerful. In a word, horses with short necks, narrow jaws, and ill set-on heads, or, again, with long unstable necks, endeavour to escape the pain occasioned by injudicious attempts to force these into a certain shape by running away in the position of the upper figure; whilst those with well-formed heads and necks will, if their hind quarters be weak, usually adopt that of the lower onethe getting down of the head alone bringing the weight well on to the fore-legs, and consequently easing the weak part. It sometimes happens that there are defects at both ends, and want of judgment or temper in the rider will easily drive such a poor weak creature to despair; for those who have had much experience with young horses must have remarked that the powerful and well-built ones seldom take to bolting unless there is something wrong with their tempers.

The first impulse of the great majority of riders whose horses bolt is, to put a sharper bit into their mouths, or at least to shorten the curb, and perhaps rig the horse out with some sort of martingal or running-reins that gives them a good hold of the head, to secure which more effectually they plant their feet firmly in the stirrups, probably at the same time throwing their