and the wielder must have cursed his luck as he had to place his foot on the young corpses torso and repeatedly pull at the axe with all his strength , and the horse shuddered but stood tall , and the sacerdotes next blow struck the horse upside the head with the blunt of the axe , and the horse kneeled on its front legs , and then the wielder aimed a low swipe at the horses hind legs which blessed its targets kneecaps but also ricocheted into a slow glide astride another sacrificers stomach .