HORSES TO JUMP 65 



never turn him round to the left before pre- 

 senting him at the fence again, but rather turn 

 him round to the right, or rein him quietly 

 back for two or three lengths and then push 

 him forward. When ridden in company young 

 horses will seldom refuse, but the riders must 

 bear in mind that slow jumping is the basis of 

 good jumping. Unlike a chaser, a hunter must 

 jump with equal ease at whatever pace he 

 happens to be ridden at a fence. The sharpen- 

 ing up of a horse is easily accomplished in 

 company with others, but the best chasers have 

 to learn to jump slowly at first. Unlike the 

 latter, the hunter must learn to arch his back 

 over a fence. I remember riding a young 

 hunter several years ago who showed abso- 

 lutely no aptitude for jumping in hunter form. 

 However, he took to the other game, and since 

 those days he has won two Grand Militaries. 

 Some horses are apt to jump one-sided when 

 going fast, generally left-handed. There are 

 several reasons for this. They may have been 

 badly ridden, they may prefer landing on a 

 particular leg, or they may contract the habit 

 when taking off too close to a fence. So as to 

 give themselves more room they jump at an 

 angle to the fence instead of going straight. 

 In the early stages this can be corrected by 



