Re: Falling horses

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/21/98 9:15:49 PM Pacific Standard Time,
navion@lightspeed.net writes:

<< It always bothers me to hear somebody say  " My horse almost fell, I
 really had to pull hard to keep him up"  This is akin to pulling ones self
 up by your bootstraps.  Sounds good but never seem to work. I can't lift
 myself off the ground by my shoelaces and you can't lift your horse off the
 ground by his reins. >>

My husband believes as you do, but I have seen it work.  I would describe it
not so much as pulling the horse up by his reins, but by giving the horse a
cue to collect himself, whereupon he manages to get his balance again.  It
doesn't really sound like it has any scientific basis, but I have seen, and
have known it to work on most occasions. So, scientific basis or not, I shall
continue to attempt to collect a horse that has stumbled and is trying to go
down.

BMc