34-O Among Men and Horses. 



marked to her that it was always a pleasant sight to see a 

 lady riding a nice, temperate horse in a snaffle, and particu- 

 larly over fences. 



To my thinking, the management of the jumping com- 

 petitions both at the Agricultural Hall and at Richmond left 

 much to be desired. The first blot on both programmes was 

 the rule that the jumpers had to be entered for some of the 

 other classes, so as to qualify them to take part in the leaping 

 events. This was nothing less than an attempt at trading on 

 the sporting feeling of the owners of the jumpers, instead of 

 trying to encourage it. The only excuse which could be put 

 forward in defence of this unjust tax is that it tends to keep 

 out horses which are not of sufficient quality to compete in 

 non-jumping classes. If this were really the reason for fining 

 an owner for wanting his horse to jump, the committee would 

 much more effectively accomplish their supposed desire, if 

 they were to exclude from the jumping competitions all horses 

 which did not come up to their standard of excellence, whether 

 as hunters or hacks, for instance. Of course they would not 

 adopt such a plan ; for they are well aware that the leaping 

 is their biggest ' draw.' To be consistent, they should force 

 all horses entered for non-jumping prizes, to be also entered 

 for the ' leps ' ; but for that flight of arbitrariness they have 

 not as yet attained sufficient hardihood. At the most of these 

 shows, the entrance money for the jumping competitions is so 

 high, as compared to the value of the prizes, that the horses 

 which attract nineteen-twentieths of the gate money, compete 

 as a rule only for their own entry fees. 



The second point which I disliked in the management of 

 the leaping events at Islington and at Richmond was the 

 absence of system in the judging. We all know that even a 

 bad system is better than no system at all. No hint was 

 given to the competitors as to the necessary requirements for 

 a prize winner. Not the slightest regard was paid by the 

 judges at either place to manners or style. Jibing brutes 

 which had to be led out, took prizes. Impetuous beasts which 



