For instance, when the rider dismounts, and simply leaves the reins over the animal's head, the latter knows that he will be wanted again soon, and must not wander far off; if, on the other hand, the bridle is left loose, the pony knows he may roam at will in search of food until his master seeks him.
"A Girl's Ride in Iceland"
Ethel Brilliana Alec-Tweedie
Is it a Huastecan custom, by the way, to shoot a cavalier the instant he-ah-dismounts?
"The Missourian"
Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle
Directly he dismounts he has to be put on crutches.
"Three Months in the Southern States, April-June 1863"
Arthur J. L. (Lieut.-Col.) Fremantle