RACE AND SHOWYARD RIDING 245 



chase. He was a fine hunter, and could gallop 

 fast — past a standing tree. But all the breeding 

 he had was three top crosses of thoroughbred, 

 and the foundation dam was a very common 

 mare indeed. In vain I tried to persuade my 

 friend not to run him, pointing out that his 

 undoubted^ brilliant performances in the 

 hunting field were due to the fact of his rider 

 adopting the policy of the nearest way. The 

 horse was a big bold jumper, one of the sort de- 

 scribed by the late Mr. W. C. A. Blew as a horse 

 '* 3^ou would jump a gate on as soon as open it," 

 and my friend insisted on running. The steeple- 

 chase fences were as nothing to him, but he could 

 not gallop with the horses he met, and even if 

 he had had more pace he would have lost so 

 much ground by dwelling at his fences that 

 success would have been hopeless. And I need 

 scarcely say that his manners were not improved 

 by his steeplechasing. The first thing the novice 

 will find is that his horse will want ' sharpening 

 up ' at his fences. Even a quick hunter dwells a 

 little at his fences compared with a chaser, and 

 what the novice is attempting to do is to turn 

 his hunter into a chaser for the time being. He 

 will find two jumps in the modern steeplechase 

 course which he will never find in similar shape in 

 the hunting field. These are the dry ditch and 

 the w^ater jump. Now neither of these obstacles 

 are really very formidable when once they become 

 familiar to man and horse. They are really very 

 easy to negotiate at an ordinary hunting pace, 



