114 THE BARB AND THE BKIDLE. 



cause her horse to extend hhnself over a jump where there is con- 

 siderable width as well as height. I must repeat that, for this pur- 

 pose, a horse should be used that is thoroughly up to his business — 

 one that will stride freely away and gallop at his fence. The best 

 practice to begin with, in what I may perhaps call "fast jumping" 

 for a lady, is at an artificial brook. 



This is easy enough to arrange in a riding school. It requires only 

 a sheet of canvas, painted the colour of water, of such dimensions 

 that the people in the school can increase or diminish its width at 

 pleasure. This canvas should be long enough to extend from one side 

 of the school to the other, which can be managed by fastening the 

 canvas to a couple of light rollers. On the taking-off side of this 

 artificial brook there should be some low wattles, gorse bound, or 

 otherwise ; and these also should extend quite across the school. 

 There is then no chance of a well-broken horse refusing. 



Before the canvas arrangement is stretched across the riding- 

 house, the pupil should be instructed to set her horse going at a free 

 striding canter — as fast as is compatible with safety in turning the 

 corners, which should be well cut off in this case, the pupU riding a 

 half-circle at both ends of the school. After two or three turns 

 round the house at this pace, in order to get the horse well into his 

 stride, the assistants should arrange the jump while the instructor 

 prepares his pupil for it. And now let me endeavour to explain the 

 difference in the position and action of the hands of the rider neces- 

 sary for a long jump as compared with that requisite in a short one. 

 In the latter, safety consists in a horse jumping well together or col- 

 lectedly, because in a cramped or crooked place speed is almost 

 certain trouble. Where, on the contrary, there is a broad sheet of 

 water to be got over, "plenty of way" on the horse — sufficient speed 

 to give great momentum to his effort, is indispensable. In the short 

 leap or crooked place, then, the horse should be made to jump 

 throughout right into his bridle ; and for this purpose the position and 

 steadiness of hand described in the last article, accompanied by such 

 pressure of the leg as will keep him up to it, is the true mode of 

 " doing such places," 



But to clear a wide jump, it should be remembered that the horse 



