154 



LEAPING. 



a " peck " at most. Hence^ a clever horse will try to 

 avoid an accident by raising his knees well out of harm's 

 way. Another danger consists in the horse catching 

 the fence with his hind legs, which he will best avoid 

 by bending them as much as possible at the stifles and 

 hocks (Fig. 246). Consequently, a clever jumper, as 

 soon as his hind legs quit the ground when taking off, 

 will tuck them under him as if they were on springs 



Photo hij] [The Gkesham studio, adelaimk, s. au^thaeia. 



Fig. 247. — Mr. B. White's Australian hunter, Silver. 



suddenly let go, after having been drawn out. A 

 slovenly fencer, on the contrary, is liable to drag his 

 hind legs after him, at the imminent risk of catching 

 them in the fence and falling. In a high jump, the 

 animal should keep his hind legs well bent until he is 

 clear of the obstacle (Fig. 248), so that, if need be, as 

 might occur in the case of an unexpected wide drain 

 being met with at the landing side, he may be able 



