The Life of a Great Sportsman 



took off at the brook, we both fell in, at the imminent risk of 

 being jumped upon by the other riders, mostly Prussian officers, 

 every one of whom came to grief. George Ede, on Lord 

 Poulett's Benazet, who eventually won, was the only rider, in 

 fact, to get over in safety. 



I have been equally lucky hunting, and until two years ago 

 never broke a bone, and that was when riding a hack over 

 some timber. 



Some horses are apt to take off too far away from their 

 fences, and the best way I know of to cure them of this 

 dangerous fault is to jump them constantly over rather a low 

 fence with a wide ditch on the landing side. After a few 

 lessons they will soon learn to go well up to their fence before 

 jumping. 



Others, again, have just the opposite habit o f getting too 

 near their fences before jumping, and for these the best and 

 safest remedy is the guard rail, as it makes the horse stand away. 



The rider can often help his horse to get a fence in his 

 stride by pointing him the least bit either to the right or left, 

 as your own eye tells you when you are two or three lengths 

 away whether your horse is likely to get his stride wrong. 



Some horses hardly ever get a fence out of their stride, and 

 when they do, put a short one in with such rapidity as to at 

 once equalize matters. To ride such perfect chasers as these is 

 indeed to be in luck's way. I cannot impress too forcibly upon 

 those of my readers who are fresh to cross-country work the 

 great necessity of sitting well back to help your mount at his 

 fences when he is getting tired, and holding him together in 

 the last mile of a long race. 



A fresh horse can jump without assistance from its rider, 

 but when blown and leg weary, then is the time he wants help 

 from his jockey in the manner I have suggested. 



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