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their minds if the fence were possible. Horses have a 

 curious intuition — probably conveyed by riders' hand or 

 legs — of knowing the exact spot the man has chosen, 

 and the moment he chooses it, so that if an alteration is 

 made the horse loses confidence in the rider. In any 

 ordinary sized enclosure a man ought to be able to 

 select his point of exit the moment he lands in a field. 



" Cutting in," that is, going sideways at a fence or 

 gap to get at which another is going straight, is an 

 unpardonable sin, and should be classed as attempted 

 manslaughter. In steeplechasing it is moderately safe 

 to ride knee to knee, because the fence is the same height, 

 but it is a practice deservedly unpopular in the hunting 

 field, where fences usually vary every few yards. The 

 majority of horses like to take the fine of least resistance, 

 and, seeing a gap a few yards right or left of a consider- 

 able obstacle confronting them, will often steer suddenly 

 for the easier place. For this reason it is advisable to 

 give men on either side a wide berth. 



A man, in following another at a fence, should always 

 allow sufficient room to puU up if his leader falls. There 

 is no excuse for a man jumping on another. The distance 

 to allow must, of course, depend on the horse and the 

 time it takes to stop him, but no one riding a hard puller 

 should ever accept the services of a pilot. 



It is sometimes necessary to make use of gates, and a 

 little education in the opening of them might prove 

 useful to some of those who come out hunting. 



To enable a crowd to pass quickly through a gateway 

 it is important the gate should be kept open, and this 

 can only be done if everyone on his way through puts 

 out his hand or whip. This is only a matter of courtesy 

 and pohteness, a failure to do which is both selfish and 

 thoughtless. 



