58 HORSEMANSHIP. 



few minutes' delay or hesitation may cause you to 

 distress your horse or to be entirely thrown out. 



Always ride clear of the crowd, and select your own 

 line of country. Do not be tempted to mix with 

 strange horses and careless riders, in order that you 

 may get easily through a broken fence : you lose much 

 valuable time by so doing, and endanger both the 

 safety of yourself and your horse. Survey the sur- 

 rounding country at a glance ; observe the direction of 

 the leading hounds ; select your own point of egress, 

 and charge it. When landed in the next field, again 

 cast a rapid glance at the opposing fence, and take the 

 leap least likely to distress your horse, yet tends to 

 bring you in a proper position with respect to the 

 hounds. 



Do not bring your horse to a leap when out of 

 wind, and do not put him at a leap which is beyond 

 his physical powers to clear. Bring him to the leap at 

 the speed necessary to impel him forward with the 

 least exhausting impetus — the small leap requiring 

 quietness and great caution, the large leap requiring 

 speed and dexterity. Never despise the small leap : 

 neglect or inattention in this particular is the frequent 

 cause of serious, and sometimes fatal, injury. The 



