378 THE SHIRES AND THEIR FENCES. 



out, when going freely. Oxers are not often met with, 

 probably on account of the increasing popularity and 

 strength of cut-and-laid hedges ; and because wire is some- 

 times used to protect hedges, especially in summer. 



Posts and rai/s(F\gs. 232, 233 and 234), though less frequent 

 than hedges in the Shires, are a very important factor in hunt- 

 ing at headquarters ; for they brook no trifling. A double 

 posts and rails (Figs. 235 and 236) takes a good deal of doing. 

 Sometimes it may be jumped as an in-and-out (generally 

 obliquely), provided one's horse is very temperate. A bold 

 hunter who can " throw a big lep " would probably prefer to 

 do it " in once." High railway posts and rails (Fig. 237) have 

 been jumped ; but not often. 



Stone walls (Fig. 238) are seldom met with in the 

 Shires. 



A steady and clever horse is required for the safe negocia- 

 tion of a Midland wooden stile (Fig. 239). 



In Leicestershire, where almost all the gates (Fig. 240), 

 readily open, the rule is to go through them, not over 

 them. 



As the hunting parts of the Midlands are chiefly of clay, 

 which absorbs water slowly, and as the surface of the ground 

 is generally of an undulating character, most of the rain 

 which falls on the grass fields, quickly finds its way to fences 

 at a lower level, in which effort it is aided by the frequently 

 occurring ridge-and-furrow ; and consequently the large 

 majority of hedges in the Shires have a ditch (Fig. 241) either 

 on the taking off or landing side, according to the direction 

 the horse is going. This addition to the obstacles makes 

 it necessary for a good Leicestershire hunter to be able 

 to " spread himself out " over a fence ; for if he cannot 

 do so, he will be certain before he has gone far, to drop 

 his hind feet into the ditch or against the rail on the 

 other side of some leap or the other. As typical Leicester- 



