328 HUNTING. 



foxes frequently make a point from one covert to 

 another, and experienced hunting women will generally 

 have a good idea where they are going. Like Surtees' 

 Michael Hardy, they know their country and the runs 

 of its foxes. There are people that have hunted in 

 Leicestershire all their lives, who manage to keep 

 comparatively near hounds and see good sport without 

 jumping a single fence. They know the country, gener- 

 ally ride to points, and act as admirable pilots to the 

 uninitiated. I owe them a deep debt of gratitude for 

 showing me the way, when I rode young horses who 

 were getting their first lessons in hunting. Croppers 

 never came to me under their wise guidance, but only 

 when tempted by the keenness and excitement of my 

 over-sanguine youngster, I essayed lepping experiments 

 which were not always successful. 



A lady should never put her mount at a fence 

 which she is not certain he is able to jump, for it is 

 better to be a coward than a corpse, and even if 

 she is pounded and loses a run, both she and her 

 horse have plenty more good hunting days in store. 

 Some hunters will refuse a fence at which they see 

 the horse in front of them come to grief, and as it 

 is only natural that any horse with brains should feel 

 more or less frightened at such times, his rider 

 should sympathise with him and encourage him to 

 make an effort, in much the same way as we would 

 coax a child to take a dose of medicine. Few horses 

 like jumping. Whoever saw animals at liberty larking 

 over fences from sheer delight in leaping ? It takes 



