RIDING TO HOUNDS 237 



either side of the fence to be the same level, and 

 when the pace is so great he has no time to 

 prepare himself should it prove otherwise. 



It is usually safe to ride close to thorn-bushes, 

 for such do not love wet ground, and the take-off 

 will therefore be sure to be sound. Willows, on 

 the contrary, should be avoided, for the soil is 

 apt to be washed away from their water-loving 

 roots, and a deep hole to be formed, a sure haunt 

 for a big trout if there are any in the stream. As 

 a rule it is safest to jump where the hounds have 

 crossed, if the course of the stream is unknown, 

 and there is no time to look before you leap, for 

 a fox which knows the country is almost certain 

 to cross at the narrowest spot, and if some of the 

 hounds are seen to jump it clean, there is no 

 doubt about a good horse being also able to clear 

 the water. Even if hounds are seen to make a 

 big effort to spring over, a horse will probably 

 get over safely, for if the hounds feel it is too 

 wide for them to leap, and that they must swim, 

 they will just blob in, without making an effort to 

 jump. 



Often, when galloping, some deep ground — a 

 slough of despond — is suddenly noticed just as 

 the horse is about to stride into it, when the 

 rider should at once lean back as far as possible, 

 to throw his weight on to the horse's hind- 

 quarters ; otherwise a bad blunder, and possibly 

 an over-reach will ensue ; and if going very fast 

 a strained tendon is not an uncommon result. 



In the event of having to ford an unknown 

 stream, take careful note of the soil of the banks, 

 and character of the current. Where the stream 

 broadens out over a gravelly or sandy bed, with- 

 out any banks on either side, and with a babbling 



