THE BAEB AND THE BRIDLE. 107 



throw the upper part of her figure back the instant the horse drops 

 his head. Any more instruction will only confuse her. The master 

 should jump with the horse, hut not hold the habit, as is customary 

 with some preceptors of riding, because no man is so clever on his 

 legs butj that some inequality in the tan or turf might cause him 

 to stmnble, in which case assuredly he would pull the lady off her horse. 



After the first jmiip the master is better away from both horse 

 and pupil. In nine cases out of ten I have found that the above 

 simple directions to the latter result in her landing all right, except 

 a little derangement of equilibrium to the front ; but the easy 

 spring of a well-bred and well-broken horse, and the hold he takes 

 of her hands, reassure her. She has made her premiere pas in. 

 jumping, and finds that it is by no means so difl&cult a matter as she 

 anticipated In her second attempt, if she exhibits good nerve, 

 as most young ladies of the present day do, the instructor need only 

 walk up the side of the school with her, close to the horse's shoulder, 

 quietly correcting her if she allows her reins to become slack, 

 because in that case she loses the appid on the horse's mouth, which 

 in her early attempts at leaping is of vital importance to her. In 

 fact, it is necessary, in order to give the pupil confidence, that the 

 horse should jump with a firm hold upon her hand. 



Many authorities on riding teU us that a horse's jump is simply 

 a higher stride of his galloj) ; from this notion I beg entirely to 

 dissent. In leaping, a horse first raises his forehand upwards with 

 a half rear, both feet quitting the ground at the same instant, the 

 height he rises corresponding to the angle at which he takes off. 

 Secondly, from his hind legs he propels himself forwards, both hind 

 legs moving together, and, if he is a good jumper, weU under him. 

 If leaping, therefore, is to be compared to any other action of a 

 horse, it must resemble a plunge gainin'g ground to the front. There 

 is no possible gain in teaching, however, by comparing a horse's 

 leap to his any other movement. Instinct teUs him what to do in 

 order to clear his legs of the obstacle, and, like walking or galloping, 

 the action is by no means artificial, inasmuch as a thoroughly 

 unbroken young horse loose in a paddock will jump through a gap 

 on an ill-kept farm (if his dam makes the running) with precisely 



