200 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



immediately a horse begins to gallop fast. It is 

 usually done quite unconsciously and is perhaps 

 caused by rounding the wrists. Not only is it 

 very ugly to stick the elbows out but it brings 

 with it loss of power over the horse. Indeed it is a 

 curious fact that many of the ugly habits which 

 horsemen gather up in the course of their adven- 

 tures have a similar result. 



There is no worse or uglier habit than that of 

 throwing up an arm as a horse is landing after 

 clearing a fence and there is none more easily 

 acquired or difficult for a man to break himself of. 

 Some men who can certainly not be called bad 

 horsemen have acquired the habit ; yet I do not 

 think it too strong a criticism to say that the 

 man who ' hails a hansom ' as it is called, is not 

 a finished horseman so long as he indulges in the 

 practice. Several of our friends who bring their 

 horses over the Channel for the jumping at the 

 Internationa] Show have the habit very strongly 

 pronounced, but I am of opinion that it is no 

 more necessary to ' hail a hansom ' in the show 

 ring than in the hunting field, though I freely 

 admit that I have no practical knowledge of 

 trick jumping, which show jumping has now 

 developed into. 



Let us just consider for a moment what 

 happens when a man throws his arm up in the 

 manner indicated. In the first place he leaves 

 loose of his horse's head, and consequently the 

 horse does not get the support he ought to have. 

 For the bigger the jump the more support a 



