LEAPINa. 127 



would ride a horse at all, at anything that measured 

 a clear eighteen feet from bank to bank, and any- 

 thing less than this a horse could jump at a mode- 

 rately slow canter. I think therefore, that the 

 practice of going so fast at water or drains has its 

 origin in the fear that the horse would refuse it 

 if you did not ride him fast at it, more than from 

 any actual necessity for so doing. 



I should prefer riding rather faster at a fence 

 where there was a broad ditch first and then a hedge, 

 as a horse requires a certain amount of impetus to 

 carry him over breadth and height as well. When 

 the hedge comes first it is a choice of evils, and I 

 think I should sooner risk dropping into the ditch 

 than catching the top of the hedge. 



A high jump that will neither bend nor break 

 should not be ridden at, at all, except on some parti- 

 cular horses. A short, tall horse with good shoulders 

 is especially able to rise quickly and high, but with a 

 long low horse, or a straight-shouldered horse, there 

 is always more or less danger, and the danger in- 

 creases very much with the height of the obstacle. 

 When you see a man single himself out from the 

 rest of the field, and ride over a high post and rail, 

 or other obstacle, you will generally find that he is 

 mounted on such a horse as I have described as 

 being adapted to this kind of jump, that is, a horse 

 with very good shoulders, but short in his body, 

 and generally steep in his hind quarters. 



