446 The Book of the Horse. 



And then he gives the following conversation between two notabilities of the past 



generation — a hard-riding farmer and a hard-riding baronet : — 

 "'How do you like your new horse, Sir James?' 



" ' Pretty well ; only he makes me nervous, he hits his timber so hard.' 

 "Til tell you what to do,' says Heycock, 'take him out by himself, quite private, and 



give him two or three heavy falls over timber. I always do it' 



'"God bless me, Mr. Heycock ! you make my hair stand on end.' Them was Sir James's 



very words ; and he was a precious hard 'un too, was Sir James Musgrave. 



******** 



" As to water, when I begin with a young horse I walk him to it (not too wide). I don't 

 let him go away, I never lick or spur him, and, bless you ! he soon takes a delight 

 in it." 



Mr. Grantley Berkeley says : — " Do all you can to make your hunter steady, and if he makes 



a stumble by no means strike or spur him. If you do, the next time he makes a mistake, 



instead of coolly trying to save himself, he is likely to make wild scrambles to avoid your whip. 

 ******** 



" Hunters should be taught to do small places — blind ditches, and the like — deliberately, 

 for it is in rushing wildly at such places that the worst falls take place. The horse leaps too 

 soon, puts his fore feet he knows not where, and crashes on his head. As to the pace for 

 riding at fences there is no rule. 



" You may pull your horse into a fall by nervous hesitation just as he is about to take 

 off, or you may gallop him wildly into a fall by causing him to take off too soon, and therefore 

 jump either not high enough or not far enough. 



"The really first-class hunter flies smoothly beneath his rider, as if his joints were fed 

 with oil. He stretches his splendid stride as if he felt no weight upon his back, and had at 

 the same time each leg at command, his brain and eyes both serving him ; timing each step 

 so as to safely span every grip, drain, or furrow that suddenly succeed each other, and with 

 a few strides of lessened velocity bringing his fore feet close up to the fence, be it hedge, ditch, 

 or brook, so as to compass it accurately — largely, if needful. 



" The perfect hunter is prepared to exert his greatest power, if needful, yet never wastes 

 his strength unnecessarily over low or narrow fences. 



" The bad horseman spurs and rushes his horse at every fence, instead of reserving sharp 

 urging for great obstacles. 



" He swallows his fences as he would a nauseous dose of physic. Kicking with his armed 

 heels, shutting his eyes, he disturbs the calculations of a really sensible hunter — feels a maddened 

 rush, hears a crash, and is indebted to undeserved good luck if he does not find his horse in 

 the middle of the fence, or on his back in the next field. 



" The worst thing a man can do is to take his horse's attention from the work he has 

 before him, by striking him with the whip, jagging at his mouth, or needlessly applying the 

 spur. A hunter needs to have his mind at ease and his senses about him. If you flourish 

 your whip or cram in your spurs when the poor dear is timing his stride so as not to take off' 

 too soon, looking wliercabouts to land his feet on the outside of the fence in front, ten to 

 one he takes off loo soon, or rushes through the fence without rising at all." 



At the same time Mr. Berkeley truly adds : " Men ride and go well over country in all 

 forms. Some of the most uncouth and awkward-looking are hard to unseat, very hard te 

 pound, and almost impossible to beat." 



