FAMOUS CHASERS AND THEIR RIDERS, 365 



each case after a vigorous finish, it will be gathered that his skill 

 was quite out of the common. Winning by a short head may 

 mean anything — as, for instance, that a good horse wTetchedly 

 ridden has only just got home in front of a very inferior animal 

 with a very superior jockey on his back ; but Mr. Ede's wins 

 meant riding. For several years he was at or near the top of 

 the list of successful gentleman-riders, and for his friend Lord 

 Poulett he won many races, as also for the Duke of Beaufort 

 on Lord Ronald. It is understating the case to say that Ben 

 Land infinitely preferred Mr. Ede to any one who could have 

 been chosen. He had his share of accidents. One terrible 

 fall on a horse called Endsleigh, in a Croydon hurdle-race, 

 seemed for some days almost certain to prove fatal ; but Mr. 

 Ede not only recovered, but did so with no loss of nerve — in- 

 deed, one of his first mounts w^hen well enough to ride again 

 was on The Lamb, for Lord Poulett, at Liverpool. The finish 

 was a severe one, and it was by horsemanship alone that Mr. 

 Ede got home from Pearl Diver, with a professional jockey in 

 the saddle. 



Mr. Ede's lamentable death while riding Chippenham 

 over the small fence before the brook opposite to the stand 

 at Aintree need not be dw^elt upon ; but a w^ord must be said 

 in memory of one of the most accomplished horsemen that 

 ever sat in the saddle, and one of the most thorough gentlemen 

 that ever loved the sport. The kindness and generosity of 

 George Ede's disposition made him many most hearty friends, 

 to whom his death w^as a lamentable occurrence, to be mourned 

 but not to be forgotten. Robert I'Anson himself, as just set 

 forth a horseman who has had few peers and still fewer superiors, 

 rode his first cross-country race when Mr. Ede was attaining 

 the height of his fame, and throughout the race the more expe- 

 rienced rider helped and guided the young professional, telling 

 him where to jump his fences, and generally encouraging him. 

 So valuable were his hints, indeed, that young I'Anson got 

 over the course in perfect safety, and in the finish beat his 

 kindly Mentor by a head ! 



