EIDING ACEOSS COUNTRY. 113 



seem to have made up their mind to go over, and it 

 is difficult to stop them ; and when they have jumped 

 the fence successfully, unless they are immediately 

 restrained by the bridle, they go off at top speed. 

 They will also jump better atone time than another, 

 and jump better over one sort of fence than another. 

 If they do not want to jump a fence, they gallop at 

 it just the same, and then stop short and spin round. 



Now a horse does none of these things unless he 

 has been taught to do them by some one. 



If you take a young horse that you can be quite 

 certain has never been jumped over a fence or ridden 

 at one, and canter him slowly right across a field up 

 to a small hedge or a small ditch, he will not quicken 

 his pace on approaching it, but will canter completely 

 up to it. When he gets to it he may jump it or he 

 may stop, but if he stops he will not spin round, but 

 will stand with his head looking over the fence, and 

 if he jumps it he will not quicken his pace on the 

 other side. 



Now this is the way a well-broken horse ought to 

 behave when ridden at a fence, with this exception, 

 that whereas an untaught horse will canter up to a 

 fence and then jump it or stop at his own 2)leasure, 

 a well-broken horse ought to canter up to a fence and 

 then jump it or stop at his rider'' s pleasure. 



I have said in treating of riding on a road, that 

 the first essential to riding pleasantly and safely is 

 that you should be able to stop your horse when you 



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