21 8 FOX-HUNTING 



another ; but I think every one fears some- 

 thing, though when the nerves are strong it is 

 always possible to overpower that fear. 



More accidents in the hunting-field happen 

 through bad nerves than anything else, and the 

 good horseman who has lost his nerve is more 

 likely to fall than the indifferent one. He has 

 always assisted his horse with hands and legs 

 at a fence, but when his nerve goes he does 

 it the fraction of a second too soon or too 

 late, with disastrous results to himself. The 

 man, however, who has always left everything 

 entirely to his horse, rides still in the same 

 style, and, not attempting to interfere at the 

 fence, is much less likely to come to grief. 



I would advise the beginner to leave his horse 

 entirely alone at the fences. The art of assisting 

 a horse to jump is a natural gift bestowed on 

 only a few men, but it must be carefully culti- 

 vated by long practice and experience to be a 

 success. 



In Ireland the snaffle alone is generally seen 

 on a hunter, but in England nearly every one 

 uses the curb, and the majority of horses 

 are over-bitted. In the hands of a perfect 



