Horsemanship. Technical phrases: to beat a curvet, to beat the dust, to beat upon a walk, to beat upon the hand.

intransitive. Of a horseman or horse: To execute a caracol or caracols. Often used loosely for ‘to caper about’. Also transferred of other animals.

intransitive. Of a horse: to execute a curvet, leap in a curvet; (in later use also more generally) to caper, prance, leap. Said also of the person…

intransitive. To leap, skip, caper. Also said of horses (and their riders); and figurative.

intransitive. To curvet, prance, caper about, frisk, bound: said of a horse, or rider, and hence transferred.