Curvet

I can see my husband riding the margins of the field, talking to his land steward, and I kick Arthur into a rolling canter and come up to him in a rush that makes his own horse sidle and curvet in the mud. ❋ Philippa Gregory (2010)

Theogine's horse in Heliodorus [4846] curvet, prance, and go so proudly, exultans alacriter et superbiens, &c., but that such as mine author supposeth, he was in love with his master? dixisses ipsum equum pulchrum intelligere pulchram domini fomam? ❋ Unknown (2007)

But gaining in speed; and gaining on him, slicing toward him in a wide curvet like hounds let loose on the side of a meadow, and he the fox already moving broadly down its middle. ❋ Maguire, Gregory (2005)

The others laughed, one pulled hard on the reins, making his broad-shouldered mount snort and curvet. ❋ Berberick, Nancy Varian (2002)

To see thee curvet, and mount like a dog in a blanket, ❋ Unknown (N/A)

At least I imagined so this morning, with our craft "upon a wind," whilst standing in the weather gangway, and watching her plunge and curvet, held up to her course by the helm, as a steed by a curb, obeying its rider; but I did not think the motion as agreeable as that derived from equestrian exercise. ❋ W. Hastings Macaulay (N/A)

The girls came out of the cottage doors to look at him, as he made the fiery little beast curvet and prance along the road; and he was evidently not insensible to the looks of admiration of these young ladies, as they muffled up their faces in their blue rebozos and looked at him through the narrow opening. ❋ Edward Burnett Tylor (N/A)

We may see the barb, with nostril of fire, and mane playing with the wind, perform a curvet, as he draws our aristocratic countrywoman -- aristocratic and haughty at least in Malta, although, in England, perhaps a star of much less magnitude. ❋ A Bushman (N/A)

The pad began to curvet as the post horses rattled behind, and the Parson had only an indistinct vision of a human face supplanting these human legs. ❋ Various (N/A)

His heels turned the horse in a graceful curvet "I'm saying, Islay," he cried over his shoulder, "have a free cask or two at the Cross in the morning." ❋ Neil Munro (N/A)

I would I had the wit to describe that tournament beneath the sea; the stab, thrust, curvet, plunge -- the conquest and capture of the unknown combatant. ❋ Various (N/A)

English ideas the _pollo_ is more objectionable there than elsewhere, since his idea of riding is to show off the antics of a horse specially taught and made to prance about and curvet while he sits it, his legs sticking out in the position of the Colossus of Rhodes, his heels, armed with spurs, threatening catastrophe to the other riders. ❋ L. Higgin (N/A)

But his lines would not prance and curvet as he wished them to do; they laboured along in a heavy, cart-horse fashion, so that Johnnie at length reluctantly recalled his wandering wits to the consideration of the practical things of life. ❋ Tom Bevan (N/A)

Protestants: Horse-coursers jades will bound, curvet and shew more tricks, then a horse well mettled for the rode or cart. ❋ Samuel Ward (N/A)

In Chester Terrace the wind caught Nigel broadside-on, causing him to prance and curvet like a charger. ❋ Marsh, Ngaio, 1895-1982 (1936)

The leading lady came to the end of her refrain, and the gentlemen of the ensemble, who had been hanging about up-stage, began to curvet nimbly down towards her in a double line; the new arrival, with an eye on his nearest neighbour, endeavouring to curvet as nimbly as the others. ❋ Unknown (1928)

Others were produced by phonological changes in verbs of the orthodox vocabulary, e. g., to cavort from to curvet, and to snoop from to snook. ❋ Henry Louis (1921)

Ojeda, who was a perfect horseman, made the horse leap, curvet and caracole, taking a wider circuit each time, until making a long sweep through the forest the two disappeared from the view of the Carib army altogether. ❋ L. Lamprey (1910)

One day, among others, after it had rained a little, and he was making his horse curvet just before Pantasileas door, he slipped and fell, with the horse upon him. ❋ Cellini, Benvenuto, 1500-1571 (1910)

Rozinante, feeling himself (although he was not naturally very courageous), he seemed to rejoice, and began to beat the ground with his hoofs; for (by his leave) he could never yet curvet. ❋ Unknown (1909)