i8o THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



pronounced ewe neck, and she had a mouth hke 

 adamant. Then though a fine jumper she bucked 

 over her fences, and so was difficult to sit. The 

 combination of bucking and pulhng of course 

 taught the bad habit of ' holding on by the 

 bridle.' The old mare did not mind it, not she. 

 She was always ready for a good steady pull, and 

 she never attempted to bolt or run away, and in 

 all the 3^ears she was hunted and notwithstanding 

 the many ' duffers ' who rode her, she only fell 

 once, when she landed into a bog ^ after jumping 

 a stone wall. She looked very astonished when 

 she shook herself after she got up. 



I have gone into particulars about this mare 

 because notwithstanding her good points, and 

 she had many, she was absolutely one of the 

 worst that a beginner could be put on to. She 

 gave him a liberal idea of what a horse can do in 

 the way of jumping but that is about all that can 

 be said for her, and when he had had a couple of 

 seasons on her he was completely at fault if the 

 horse he was riding did not pull like original sin. 



The result was that horses that had no pulling 

 about them were taught to pull and more than 

 one good horse was spoiled before those who 

 learned their hunting on the old mare tumbled 

 into being passable horsemen. 



The best horse a beginner can be mounted on 

 when he first goes into the hunting field full of 

 ambition and high hope is a clever ' slug.' A 

 slug that will not refuse, and that is a good steady 



* See page 171, note. 



