MILITARY STEEPLECHASING 57 



Not being under petticoat governnrieut, I resolved to 

 try his mettle at once, and ordered him to be saddled 

 and led to the horse-artillerj parade-ground, a large 

 sandy plain, where I did not care for his bolting. I 

 followed with Fred in his buggy, and on arrival at 

 the ground had the girths drawn as tightly as 

 possible, not merely to keep the saddle in its place, 

 but to compress the lungs — a plan which I can recom- 

 mend when riding an unbroken horse, as to a certain 

 extent it prevents rearing and buck-jumping. When 

 I first mounted he began all kinds of capers, and I 

 was obliged to flog the wickedness out of him ; then 

 he tried all he knew to throw me, but finding his 

 efforts in vain he bolted, and having a good plain 

 before me, I allowed him his head, and gave him 

 " such a gruelling " that in less than an hour he be- 

 came perfectly passive in my hands, and we began to 

 understand each other. I found him to have great 

 bottom, and was altogether so pleased with his going 

 that, in spite of his character, I made Fred an ofPer, 

 which was accepted, and the horse became my own 

 with half his engagements. I now devoted a good 

 deal of my time to training and getting him into 

 runninof condition. I had trenches duo^ and hurdles 

 constructed in a quiet place behind the lines, where 

 I could give him his gallops, and by the time of the 

 races he was perfectly fit ; whilst by dint of firm but 

 kind treatment he had become thoroughly gentle and 

 much improved in temper. 



