242 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



beaten, if the ditch is towards you than when it is 

 on the other side. A tired horse will generally 

 manage to wriggle through the hedge somehow after 

 jumping the ditch, when he would blunder into 

 the ditch on the far side after jumping the hedge. 

 Also it is a wise plan,' when riding at a hedge with 

 a wide ditch on the far side, to select, if possible, 

 a gap in the hedge, or else a place where the 

 fence is only a moderate height, so that the horse 

 will see the ditch in good time before he makes 

 his spring. Most backs are broken by a horse 

 making an involuntary extra effort at the last 

 moment on coming suddenly on to unexpected 

 danger, when he had prepared himself for some- 

 thing quite different, the muscles of the back 

 snapping the bones composing the vertebrae. 

 Once at a race meeting in Ireland the writer saw 

 no less than three horses crack their backs in 

 different races at the same fence when leading. 

 It was a ditch, and so concealed that no warning 

 was given to the horse that it was there, and 

 coming unexpectedly upon it, each broke its back. 

 The horses behind escaped, for when they saw 

 the leader suddenly make a jump they naturally 

 were on the look-out for danger. 



When riding at a ditch towards you, if it is 

 very blind, try to choose a place where the 

 ditch can be plainly seen, for then the horse can 

 gauge what is before him. If this cannot be 

 done, ride at a high part of the hedge at a good 

 pace, so that the horse will have to stand well 

 away to clear the obstacle. If you go slowly the 

 horse will probably get too close, and getting his 

 fore-feet into the ditch will give you cause to think 

 over this hint ! 



Banks vary immensely in character, but all 



