HORSES TO JUMP 43 



The pressure, or more extreme use of the rider's 

 legs besides driving on the horse, will tend to 

 keep his hocks under him. Thus a sticky 

 horse will generally be found to jump well off 

 his hocks, propelling himself upwards as well as 

 forwards over the fence. Such horses can 

 easily be sharpened up, especially in company 

 with others, provided the rider is fairly strong. 



HORSES THAT RUSH AT THEIR 

 FENCES 



The case of the young horse that is inclined to 

 rush at his fences is not quite so easy to deal 

 with, but if his early training has been on the 

 right lines this should seldom occur. The 

 young horse generally rushes from nervous- 

 ness ; possibly from the jump being something 

 that he dreads and which he is anxious to get 

 over. Light hands and considerable patience 

 are necessary to correct this bad habit. Young 

 horses that have been trained to jump wildly 

 must be treated in similar manner to those that 

 have learned to rush from nervousness. In 

 this case the rider must endeavour to regain 

 the horse's confidence : let him understand that 

 he will not be hit, nor will his mouth be 

 interfered with, so that he has nothing to fear. 

 He must be given plenty of jumping at a w^alk, 



