3 o LETTERS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



do not let him go too fast at anything ; he may chance on a bad 

 take-off anywhere and, unless he is going collectedly with his 

 hind legs well under him, he may jump too soon or get too 

 near to his fences. If he is going too fast he may be all abroad 

 on landing and overjump himself. At an ordinary brush 

 fence, not slashed and laid — that is, where the binders have 

 not been half cut through and threaded along the top of the 

 fence — you can sail along at a fair pace, nothing of the tearing 

 gallop, but something rather more than a canter and less 

 than an extended gallop. 



Beyond every bush fence may be a drain and the 

 little extra speed will help you both over it. If the 

 fence is slashed and laid it is formidable, because, though 

 it will bend, it will not break, and if your acme of per- 

 fection in a moment of carelessness chances and knees it, 

 down you come. Let him go along steadily and well within 

 himself, so that, if he wants to, he can put in an extra half 

 stride if he finds it necessary. This is called " timing ' his 

 fence well. If you see anyone going at a fence like mad, you 

 can take it for certain he is frightened — it's a sure sign. Do not 

 ride at fences, however, in a cringing, half-hearted, apologetic 

 sort of way, but resolutely, and withal collectedly. Collectedly 

 — a good, expressive word, so bear with me in its repeated use. 

 On the other side of any fence there may be wire, which you 

 may see from your extra elevation. You may want to pull 

 the horse sharp round or hounds may have turned short along- 

 side the fence, so you must have your mount well in hand 

 and under control. Timber turns more riders than anything 

 else, and I do not wonder. There is something so hard and 

 nasty looking about it. But a good horse deals with it 

 wonderfully easily. The take-off and landing of necessity will 

 be good and well defined, but ride distinctly slowly at it, down 

 to a trot, if the horse is clever and generous, because the diffi- 

 culty he has is to judge his distance from it. I think this must 

 be because he can see through the rails. Now, a wall is much 

 safer, though it may be higher. Horses never seem to make 

 mistakes at them. In Galway I have seen some of the most 

 awe-inspiring walls jumped. With a loose topped wall you can 

 take all sorts of liberties, because a barrow-load of stones may 

 be knocked off and no harm done. 



