LEAPING. 123 



on by tlie bridle and knows that lie does so, but in 

 many cases, more than I should like to mention, the 

 rider not only does not know that he holds on by the 

 bridle, but would indignantly scout the idea if any- 

 one told him he did. 



I had a singular opportunity of noticing this in 

 the Holderness country. The hounds were trying to 

 pick up the scent in a field next the road, and the 

 whole of the riders composing the field were standing 

 with their horses in the road, waiting to see what the 

 hounds did. The fence out of the road was a small 

 level hedge, and a small ditch on the other side of 

 it. As the hounds drew further away from the road, 

 it became necessary to jump the fence, and I sat on 

 my horse and watched nearly seventy men jump 

 the fence, who every one of them were pulled ofP the 

 saddle on to their horse's shoulder as their horse 

 alighted. The reason of this was very simple, and 

 was as follows. 



They all had tight hold of their horse's head as 

 they put him at the fence, and as the horse extended 

 his neck in jumping, he drew them over the saddle 

 pommel by their hands. Yet nearly every one of 

 these seventy would be considered, and justly, as 

 good riders, if they had gone into another countr}^, 

 but the fact was they were not aware they were 

 holding on by the horse's head, and consequently 

 they took no pains to avoid doing it. 



If any of my readers thinks he does not hold on 



