THE RIDING 225 



cut in without the man having to check the 

 speed of his horse, you are quite safe ; but re- 

 member, when you diverge either to the right or 

 left, you are taking another's place, and it is your 

 duty to see that you do not thus impede his 

 progress. Unless the place directly in front of 

 you is exceptionally strong, your horse will jump 

 it with less effort to himself than by checking him 

 in his stride to find a weaker spot. You must, 

 however, be sufficiently wide of the man to stop 

 your horse if the animal shows any intention of 

 swerving to the thin place in the hedge, but it 

 is always safer to give plenty of room. Of course, 

 if you follow a man, you must always consider the 

 possibility of his falling, and lea^e sufficient space 

 accordingly. Women have the credit of being 

 careless in this respect, but during many years' 

 experience in the field I have never seen any one 

 jumped on by a woman, though I have frequently 

 observed men committing that offence. How- 

 ever, it does not much matter to the man jumped 

 on who does it, and all he asks is that those who 

 follow him should exercise ordinary care. 



There has been a great deal of discussion about 

 the proper pace to ride at fences, and some of the 



p 



