68 RIDING OVER FENCES. 



be done at a good steady canter. I am no advocate 

 for crawling or craning. 



Over bare post and rails, if the former are not higher 

 than the latter, I would advise the horseman to ride 

 at it in preference to the rail, as the animal can see it so 

 much better, and " take off," so much more accurately 

 before it, than he could do, were he to attempt to jump 

 the other ; as, owing to the horizontal position of his 

 eyes, he can judge far more readily the distance of 

 vertical objects, than of horizontal ones which have 

 daylight between them and the ground. If the post 

 and rails are " bushed up," the one can, of course, be 

 seen as well as the other. I am here supposing that 

 the obstacle cannot be chanced with impunity. If the 

 post be higher than the rail, I would adopt Captain 

 Humfrey's advice, to jump the horse a little to one 

 side of the post. 



If the horse happens to come down, and the rider 

 has the good luck to maintain his seat, he should leave 

 the reins perfectly loose so as not to interfere with the 

 animal's efforts. If he be unseated, he should try to 

 roll clear, while keeping a firm hold of the reins as 

 long as he can. Practice undoubtedly enables us to 

 acquire, to some extent, the art of falling softly, though 



