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_.

CHAPTER XXII.

NAMES OF EXTERNAL PARTS OF THE HORSE.

I shall here of course omit to describe parts, such as the eyes, head
and tail, for instance, which are known to everyone. The figures and
letters employed in the following list, have reference to those on Fig.
147, except when Fig. 148 is mentioned.

The hoof (10) is the horny box which encloses the lower part of the leg.
The front part of the hoof, near the ground surface, is called the
_toe_; the side portions, the _quarters_; and the rear parts, the
_heels_. The outer portion of the hoof is termed the _wall_, which is
divided into a hard, fibrous outer covering, called the _crust_, and a
soft inn