100 HORSES 



the bridle. By holding on to the bridle you turn 

 the horse's head towards yourself, and therefore 

 his body farther away. There are moments when, 

 of course, it is suicidal to cling on to the reins, 

 but I should say more bad accidents happen from 

 letting go than from hanging on. You have also 

 no right to cause your friend to lose his place 

 with hounds by going out of his way to catch 

 your horse, which you ought never to have 

 let go. 



When you feel fairly confident that the man 

 whose horse gallops by you riderless would not 

 have let go the reins if he could help it, your 

 duty is clearly to catch the animal at once. You 

 may think it is an infernal nuisance, but like other 

 unpleasant things it must be done, and you should 

 remember the old adage, '^ Do as you would be 

 done by." 



If, however, you are in the front rank and 

 hounds are running fast, the fallen one will forgive 

 you for not stopping, supposing he is not in the 

 same field, as you would then lose the run without 

 benefiting him. It is a good rule always to help 

 a comrade in the hunting-field when you can. 



The best men and the best horses must some- 

 times come to grief if they follow hounds over a 

 stiff country, but it should be your object to avoid 

 falls if possible. The fence is an obstacle between 

 you and the pack which you have to overcome, 

 but if you fall over it the honours are divided 

 between you and the fence. Do not ride for a fall, 



