Schooling of Hunters. 33 



picket fence from the stringer side, there is com- 

 paratively little danger, as a light blow of either 

 leg or hoof will knock off the picket; from the 

 opposite direction the picket, protruding above 

 the stringer about twelve inches, will break off 

 close to the stringer. 



While it is not generally supposed to be so, 

 it is a fact that fencing and timber are stiffer 

 in America than in England. In England, the 

 uncertainty of what lies beyond fences, ditches, 

 and hedged water jumps, with yielding banks, 

 makes them very hard to negotiate. It therefore 

 requires both a better hunter and rider in Eng- 

 land than in America to live in front. 



In America, the most dangerous thing to be 

 encountered in the field is the wire-topped fence, 

 whether of wood or of stone, and it is to be 

 avoided, whenever possible. 



There is only one safe way to jump a wire 

 fence and that is by placing one's coat along the 

 top wire. This plan is much practiced by those 

 who do not carry a pair of wire cutters in their 

 pockets; the latter class, however, largely pre- 

 dominate. 



Timidity, soreness, and temper are the main 

 reasons why a hunter will refuse to jump. The 

 two former combined are more easily overcome 

 than the latter alone, but never forget that nine 

 times out of ten the fault is really that of his 

 rider or trainer, and that it is unfair and 



