MR. E. DOCWRA S TIMBER JUMPER 



41 



emphatic) — " I call it rat-hunting. Give me stag, the free and open gallop, 

 the pace, the dash, the excitement of the rapid ride." Quite right, my 

 friend ; in part correct, for each has its place, and were I a rich man I 

 should certainly have my one day a week with stag. I say a rich man, for 

 though those who assert that it takes less out of a horse to have a gallop 

 with stag than a day with fox hounds, may be quite correct, and I am rather 

 inclined to agree with them, you certainly run much more risk of laming or 

 killing a valuable horse ; for you have no time to pick a weak place in a 

 fence, you must take everything as it comes, the rough and the smooth, 

 and if you take it in Essex, " Bedad," as the Irishman would say, " it's a 

 lot of the rough you'll be getting." 



Ernest Docwra's Horse "Paddy" 



Nothing would persuade Mr. Docwra to let me have a 

 photograph of himself. Was it because as an amateur photo- 

 grapher, and a very good one to boot, he knew too much of 

 the process ? or by reason of an innate modesty which is very 

 conspicuous by its absence if a line of strong timber confronts 

 him when mounted on his favourite ^ Mr. Docwra on this 

 horse has probably jumped more and higher gates not except- 

 ing the great Sheffield Neave (who is a glutton for timber) 

 than anyone in our part of the country. My advice to the 

 tyro is never attempt to follow Mr. Docwra when it comes 

 to timber-jumping, if he has any regard for sound collar-bones. 



We all become attached to a horse that carries us well 

 and safely with hounds. So that one fall in three seasons 



