LEAPING. 93 



and grip is only to be acquired by practice on all sorts of 

 horses. It must be learnt, for, with the exception of water, 

 double post-and-rails, too close to go " in and out," or big 

 fences with a wide ditch either on the take-off or landing 

 side, all jumps must be ridden at slowly. 



I have elsewhere described the peculiar gate-jumping pro- 

 clivities of Jack the Whip's Irish vaulta\ and of my own 

 mare " Up-she-rises." To be thoroughly au fait the horse- 

 man must be equal to sitting such almost perpendicular 

 performers as if glued to the saddle, and without much of a 

 strain on his gripping or balancing powers. Having become 

 proficient over one hurdle he should learn how to negociate 

 a double, or what is termed " in and out clever," or " the 

 double event." A fence of this kind may be readily im> 

 provised by placing another gorse-laced hurdle some eight 

 or ten feet from that in the gateway, further in the field and 

 connected with it by wings. At first the two jumps in rapid 

 succession, especially if there be any hesitation or dwell 

 between them, will loosen the hold on the saddle, but that 

 will be speedily overcome. The first attempts, if made at 

 a smart canter, will be found easy enough ; it is when the 

 horse trots slowly up to the double that the cobbler's wax 

 is necessary. A landsman gets his " sea legs " by a lex non 

 scripta^ and, by the same unwritten law, the horseman main- 

 tains his equilibrium in the saddle when his horse is pitching 

 in and out. It is all plain sailing so long as the horse forges 

 ahead, but should he take it into his head to baulk, to jump 

 the second hurdle side-ways, or to jump the wing, and the 

 rider be trusting entirely to balance, he may safely calculate 

 on being shunted over the horse's head or spilt over his 

 shoulder. 



In riding at high timber the pace must be slow and 

 collected. If a horse, not trained to steeple-chasing, be 



