HUNTING, AND RIDING TO HOUNDS. 59 



stumble on liis nose, the liindcr legs, lacing 

 thwarted by the heavy ground in their momentary 

 action, don't come to the assistance to relieve 

 the fore legs as quickly as they should, the over- 

 paced impetus cannot be corrected, the blunder 

 continues on the very toes of the fore legs, and 

 j^robably from ^^ace ends in a heavy fall ; for 

 unless the fore legs again get Avithin the horse's 

 command, all the pulling at the rein of an 

 accomplished rider will never save the difficulty. 

 It is nonsense to lay down any rule, free from 

 variation, as to the pace of riding at fences. You 

 may check or pull your horse into a fall, or 

 by too much haste you may urge or galloj^ him 

 into one. Do all you can to teach and use your 

 horse to he steady^ and if he makes a stumble 

 or passing error, on no account give him the 

 whip or spur. If you do, the next time he 

 makes a fault, from which die would have freed 

 himself on his own discretion, he no longer thinks 

 of how to escape a fall, but, losing his senses 

 from terror of punishment, he gets into a blind 

 or maddened scramble, w^hicli is almost certain 

 to end in grief 



As to hoiu a horse vvdll do his fences Jjest, if 



