HURDLE-RA CING. 



335 



gets between the fore legs of a horse that is following directly 

 in the wake of the blunderer and leads to a very dangerous 

 fall. 



Hurdle-racers may be recruited from the flat. If the horse 

 have good shoulders and quarters, and takes with apparent 

 willingness to the game (some hunters, as mentioned in a 

 former chapter, do not), he will in good hands be likely to 

 learn the trick of jumping hurdles in his stride without dwell- 

 ing. The preparation should begin over low obstacles, as in 

 the case of the cross-country horse ; indeed, to some extent, the 

 hurdle-racer may be looked on as an unfinished steeple-chaser. 



Gliding over with no perceptible exertion. 



As in the schooling of the jumper at the higher business, care 

 should be taken that the hurdles, whether low for the early 

 lessons, or higher for more mature practice, are fixed firmly in 

 the ground. They are to be jumped, not run through or 

 knocked down, and if a horse should come down he falls more 

 cleanly than if he carried the hurdle away and got it entangled 

 in his legs. It may possibly be convenient in a race to have 

 the way levelled by some clumsy brute that is deputed to make 

 the running and refuses to take any notice of the lines of 

 hurdles, charging each as it comes. Possibly the result of this 



