214 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



ordinary cases '' its only use is for the end of it 

 to be wrapped round the rider's hand when he 

 is opening a gate, so that he may not drop the 

 whip by accident." With this opinion I must 

 take leave to differ. It would of course be an 

 impertinence for any ordinary member of the 

 field to undertake the functions of a whipper-in 

 when those functionaries are within touch, as, 

 to do them but justice, they almost always are. 

 But when hounds are going through a crowd or 

 are passing a horseman in a lane the whip held 

 out at arm's length with the point of the lash 

 turned towards them and a warning '' 'Ware 

 Horse " will save many a hound from being 

 kicked. And don't forget this. A man who 

 shouts **'Ware Horse" after his horse has kicked 

 a hound is likely to remember it, if the master 

 is there. A convenient length for the crop is 

 23 ins. The thong for such a crop should be 

 about 4 ft. 10 ins. long, including in this 

 measurement the eye of the crop, and attached 

 to this should be about nine inches of good stout 

 whip cord — not silk. Nothing looks worse than 

 a hunting whip which is not neat and workman- 

 like. Before leaving the subject of the whip 

 I would point out that it is not intended to be 

 used on the horse. I know one or two good 

 horsemen who always hit their horses with it at a 

 big fence ; but it really does no good and is a 

 bad habit. 



I have headed this chapter Riding to Hounds, 

 which I would submit is a very different matter to 



