THE COLONIAL HORSE 199 



Hunters trained to jump wire and post-and-rail fences are 

 difficult to keep in any field or paddock, as every enclosure, 

 large and small, is termed at the antipodes. 



To restrain what is locally termed a ' breachy ' horse it is 

 not an uncommon practice to put a surcingle round the 

 animal ; one end of a rope is passed between the fore- 

 legs, under the surcingle, and tied to the other part of the rope 

 outside of one foreleg, while the other end is knotted round 

 the neck of the horse. The rope is drawn just short enough to 

 restrain the horse from raising the head higher than the withers. 

 It does not interfere with grazing or drinking, but keeps the 

 head so low that the horse will not try to jump a fence. 



There are many hunters who would show a man all that was 

 to be seen of every run in New Zealand, and over any country 

 in which hunting is at all possible, but I have not heard of 

 any which for constant reliable fencing excels a little horse 

 called The Flea. One of its most remarkable performances was 

 over one of the least inviting in-and-out doubles that was ever 

 ridden at. On the near side a low bank of sods, topped by 

 four strands of wire, with a ditch on both sides ; the landing was 

 a drop into a green lane, not more than a chain wide, having a 

 'barb' fence of seven wires on the other side. There was 

 no time to hesitate, and The Flea's reputation was at stake. To 

 have ridden fast at the bank and wire would have meant a 

 crash against the opposite fence, if not landing right into it. 

 Carefully steadying The Flea, her rider, a lady, gave her her head 

 as she came under the fence, and just clearing the ditch on the 

 lane side, she was able to pull The Flea together before taking 

 the post and wire on the other side, and had the satisfaction of 

 finding herself alone with the pack now skimming like a flock of 

 pied seagulls across the grass paddock on the other side of the 

 lane. 



Looking over her shoulder The Flea's rider saw the hard- 

 riding New Zealanders crane at the double and turn to find 

 some easier egress, all save one, a professional roughrider 

 schooling a young steeplechaser. This man, seeing a lady 



