TRAINING OF SHOW-JUMPERS 73 



obstacles, as far as the ordinary hunting man 

 can see, are specially selected as being the 

 most unlikely things that a horse will ever 

 be required to jump outside of a show-ring.) 

 During this training abroad, where the most 

 successful show-jumpers are taught, I believe 

 it is no uncommon thing for considerable 

 cruelty to be exercised. 



When writing of show-rings, of course I 

 am not alluding to Balls Bridge, or the 

 majority of Irish shows, where horses and 

 riders get as nearly as possible a natural 

 country. Even here, however, the show- 

 jumper with carriage will score from an 

 equally good jumper without it, but it by 

 no means denotes that he is the best hunter. 



Having by now, if any of my readers have 

 got so far as this, shown plainly how little 

 I know about the subject, I think I had 

 better stop before I get farther out of my 

 depth. I only wish to emphasize again that 

 any of the above views, which I have put in 

 the first person for convenience, are only my 

 own dim personal lights, and would never 

 have been put on paper except at the request 

 of a friend. 



«1# ^ ^ *|« •Sfi 



r|% ij% *f» *l» *f* 



The next point upon which it was evident 

 men, and particularly the recruits, wanted 

 information was the names given to the 



