4 STEEPLECHASING 



into fashion. Men have hunted from time immemorial, 

 but it was not every hunting" day which sufficed to 

 decide the merits of two or more horses. Hunting runs 

 took place then as now, and it was only occasionally 

 that a straight away run was enjoyed, and the fleetest 

 horse was enabled to show his superiority. Just, how- 

 ever, as the facetious Lord Alvanley regarded hounds 

 as so many hindrances to what would otherwise have 

 been very excellent fun, so, long before his time, rivalry 

 in the hunting-field led to challenges being issued and 

 accepted to ride three or more miles over a country. 

 They were merely private affairs, however, and at a 

 day when sporting intelligence was rare were not 

 recorded. 



Putting the hunting matches and wild-goose chases 

 on one side, however, Ireland would appear to have 

 been the birthplace of steeplechasing, just as she has 

 been for some years its most consistent supporter. In 

 the possession of the family of O'Brien, of Dromoland, 

 is an interesting old document which gives tolerably 

 ample particulars of a match over four miles and a 

 half of hunting country ; and it may here be remarked 

 that all the early steeplechases were matches. The 

 parties to this Irish match, which took place in 1752, 

 were Mr. O'Callaghan and Mr. Edmund Blake, the 

 course being from Buttevant Church to St. Leger 

 Church. The winner of the match, however, is not 

 given. Without reciting all the earlier matches, it 

 does not seem to have been until the year 1792 

 that the first steeplechase with more than two starters 

 took place. This sporting affair came off in Leicester- 

 shire, then the home of hard riders. The competitors 

 were Mr. Charles Meynell, son of the famous 

 Hugo Meynell, Lord Forester, and Sir Gilbert 

 Heathcote. The course was from Barkby Holt to 

 Billesdon Coplow and back, a distance of eight miles 



