50 RIDING FOR LADIES. 



kick that threatened to hurl saddle and rider half across the 

 field. " Scrutator," in " Horses and Hounds," makes mention 

 of an Irish horse, which would take most extraordinary 

 leaps over gates and walls, and if going ever so fast would 

 always check himself and take his leaps after his own 

 fashion. " Not thinking him," writes this fine sportsman, 

 "up to my weight, he was handed over to the second 

 whipper-in, and treated Jack at first acquaintance to a 

 rattling fall or two. He rode him, as he had done his other 

 horses, pretty fast at a stiff gate, which came in his way the 

 first day. Some of the field, not fancying it, persuaded 

 Jack to try first, calculating upon his knocking it open, 

 or breaking the top bar. The horse, before taking off, 

 stopped quite short, and jerked him out of the saddle over 

 to the other side ; then raising himself on his hind legs, 

 vaulted over upon Jack, who was lying on his back. Not 

 being damaged, Jack picked himself up, and grinning at his 

 friends, who were on the wrong side laughing at his fall, 

 said, ' Never mind, gentlemen, 'tis a rum way of doing 

 things that horse has ; but no matter, we are both on the 

 right side, and that's where you won't be just yet.' " 



The standing jump is much more difficult, till the neces- 

 sary balance be acquired, than the flying leap. The lower 

 and longer the curve described, the easier to sit ; but in 

 this description of leaping, the horse, though he clears 

 height, cannot cover much ground. His motion is like that 

 of the Whip's horse described above, and the rider will find 

 the effort, as he springs from his haunches, much more 

 accentuated than in the case of the flying leap, and there- 

 fore the more difficult to sit. As, however, leaping, 

 properly speaking, belongs to the hunting-field, I propose 

 to deal more fully with the subject in another volume. 



