The Life of a Great Sportsman 



How well I remember that day out hunting (it being always 

 an intense joy to we three to be noticed by her), when Lady 

 Worsley came up to me and said, " How do you manage to 

 sit your pony over fences without holding on to the back of 

 your saddle ? I cannot." 



Then I remember it suddenly dawned upon me that it 

 might possibly be the new saddle my grandmother had given 

 me, with its delightful and safety three-crutch leaping head, 

 which gave me this most unfair advantage. Naturally before 

 that I had never thought it possible I could have anything 

 better or newer than Lady Worsley. Then I remember how 

 astonished we both were when, jumping down from my pony 

 when the hounds checked, she discovered that wonderful new 

 third crutch, and I that her saddle did not possess one. How 

 well I remember, too, with what pride I lent her my saddle, 

 and how she loved her day's hunting upon it ; how a saddle 

 with the leaping head was obtained for her as soon as it were 

 possible ; and how my own saddle was glorified in my eyes 

 for ever afterwards. 



In these days, when side-saddles are constructed with 

 pommels of such a size that it is an impossibility for any 

 woman to fall off at her fences, or even off her horse at all, 

 unless she deliberately throws herself to the ground, it is hard 

 to realize what courage and determination was required by our 

 hard-riding' Lady Worsley when she came amongst us in North 

 Lincolnshire, and hunted on these old-fashioned saddles with no 

 leaping head at all, being still further handicapped by having 

 only one hand with which to guide her horse at the fences. 



Yet I hardly ever remember a horse refusing with her, for 

 her one hand on the reins was considerably better than most 

 people's two, and her sympathy with her horse either hunting 

 or hacking was perfect, as indeed it is to this day. 



48 



