FARMERS AND WIRE. 357 



and drawbacks until both become more intimately 

 acquainted." I have seen so many bad accidents 

 happen to men who were riding hired hunters, that 

 I cannot too strongly impress on my readers the 

 necessity of letting caution mark the guarded way, 

 by testing a strange mount at small fences to see 

 how he shapes, before taking unwise risks. Last 

 season, a young man who was hunting with the 

 Pytchley on a hireling came a cropper at the first 

 fence, staked his mount and got a kick in the head. 

 He was greatly distressed about the poor horse which 

 the dealer had assured him could "jump anything," 

 a feat that no hunter in the world can perform. 

 An accident of this kind with a hired hunter is a 

 most unpleasant occurrence ; because, if the bruised 

 and mud-stained horseman happens to be a stranger 

 to the dealer, the latter will naturally blame his 

 riding, while the injured one who has to break the 

 news as gently as possible, will consider that he has 

 been misled concerning the animal's jumping capabili- 

 ties. Jorrocks's advice, "know your horse," should 

 be engraved in capital letters on the heart of every- 

 one who hunts, as its observance would prevent many 

 distressing accidents both to humans and equines. 



FARMERS AND WIRE. 



There is very little wire in Leicestershire, though 

 it is far too common in other parts of the Shires. 

 Fences where the warning red board (Fig. 136) or red 



