50 LETTERS TO YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



Do not be sure you have acquired a seat independent of the 

 reins till you have tried jumping a few fences with the reins 

 knotted on the horse's neck. In trotting keep the horse 

 well up to his bridle by occasional leg pressure behind the girths. 

 Let him trot deliberately and well within himself ; do not 

 haul yourself up to meet the bumps, or rise in the stirrups 

 by your own effort. Let the action of the horse lift your 

 weight. Some smooth-actioned horses hardly move us in 

 the saddle, others provide a good deal of the cup and ball 

 business. Do not try to start a horse from a standstill 

 to a trot or a trot to a canter by " clucking " or 

 chirping ; it is amateurish, and these weird noises not only 

 affect your own horse, but also all others near. A feel on the 

 horse's mouth, a slight closing of the legs, are all that is needed. 

 In riding at a fence you must not pull the horse at the critical 

 moment. Fancy jumping, yourself, with a string tied to 

 your collar, which someone chucked just as you were taking 

 off. Keep a strongish, even hold of the reins and a firm 

 pressure with both legs, but do not tighten the reins convulsively 

 as the horse nears the fence or as he rises to it. There 

 is no fault so bad as refusing. It utterly upsets the timid, 

 and certainly damps the ardour of the bold rider. It loses 

 one's place in a run, and instead of having fences to jump 

 without the crowd, one finds oneself jostling in the ruck. 

 A horse will soon know if you mean business. If you " throw 

 your heart over first," he will not think of refusing. It is the 

 firm clasp of the legs and the even feel of the mouth that make 

 him go. The important thing is to make the horse jump 

 where you put him, not swerving and jumping wherever he 

 likes. Remember that at a j ump the shorter his last few strides 

 the better effort he can make. Gauge the ground with your 

 eye, and try to show the horse by a quick squeeze of the legs 

 where he should take off. If he takes off too far away from 

 a fence, it means you lose that distance on the other side. If 

 the horse is going collectedly, his hind legs are under him, 

 and he will deal with any unseen difficulty. 



We have had to do, up to now, with the nice, free, good- 

 natured horse, but the time will come when you will, have to 

 ride the ill-mannered, shifty and " nappy " animal. If you 

 are sure, and be sure, the horse understands what you want 



