108 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



confidence in your horse, not pulling him here and 

 there, to steer clear of this or that, which he sees as 

 well, or better, and quicker than yourself. " Never fear 

 him," and send him at his fences in earnest, as though 

 your heart preceded him in his progress. By sending 

 him at his fences, I mean to say, let him know that you 

 intend going, and nothing less. For myself, I am an 

 advocate for putting a horse slowly at most fences, and 

 not more than half speed at any ; but, as I have no 

 claim to professorship in this department, without pre- 

 suming to deny a contrary practice, I will only say that 

 such is the method of those whose style I most admire, 

 and that, in my humble opinion, the expedience of 

 collecting a horse, and slackening, instead of accele- 

 rating, his speed, when charging a fence, under a notion 

 (which I take to be erroneous) of providing him with 

 sufficient impetus, is founded upon the following rational 

 principles : — Look at deer, cats, greyhounds, any good 

 jumpers you choose to take for an example: watch 

 their voluntary action in taking a leap. They invariably 

 shorten their pace — the deer altogether into a trot, and 

 all others to that degree which enables them to concen- 

 trate their powers ; they cannot spring from an extended 

 posture. If it be supposed that time will be lost ; that 

 hounds must gain, irretrievably, upon you ; in short, if all 

 this sounds dead slow, it will be found that the most 

 haste is not always conducive to the greatest speed. A 

 horse hurried, ventre a terre, at a fence, cannot so well 

 measure his stride, and is apt to make a mistake in the 



