IN THE FIELD. 333 



in horses so in men, and those who possess the sport- 

 ing instinct will run many miles in the hope of 

 catching a glimpse of a hunt, even though they may 

 never be able to follow hounds on horseback. These 

 foot people are not welcomed in any hunting field, but 

 there is no denying that they are keen on the sport, 

 or they would not tire themselves as they do, in their 

 efforts to see something of it. Jorrocks says: "I 

 often thinks, could the keen foot-folks change places 

 with the fumigatin' yards o' leather and scarlet, wot a 

 much better chance there would be for the chase ! 

 They, at all events, come out from a genuine inclina- 

 tion for the sport, and not for mere show sake, as too 

 many do." 



If a lady has the misfortune to own a hunter who, 

 on refusing a fence, shows an inclination to rear on 

 being brought up to it again, my advice would be to 

 sell him, as rearing is of all equine vices the most 

 dangerous, and a woman in a side-saddle is unable to 

 slip off over the tail of a horse who is standing on his 

 hind legs, a feat I have seen accomplished by men. 

 Besides, a horse who will try to rear at a fence 

 instead of jumping it, will be sure to revert to the 

 same form of defence, whenever the will of his rider 

 does not coincide with that of his own. It is very 

 unwise to lend a hunter to anyone who is not a 

 thoroughly good rider. I had in Calcutta a clever 

 Australian horse which I used to ride in the paper- 

 chases that are run over a " made " course. He 

 had never refused or made the slightest mistake with 



