450 The Book of the Horse. 



tliough the fine Jwrscviansliip and unshaken nerve of tzvcnty years ago ivere gone never to 

 rctnrn," and his daughter, a " girl of tlie period," the warm-hearted and slangy Lady 

 Julia. 



" These two [the Duke M. F. H. and Walter] seemed the only two inclined to face the 

 water. Lady Julia and her father exchanged looks of intelligence. The young lady spoke 

 first— 



" ' He means to have it ! Papa, I knew he would. Look ! he has set him a-going. How 

 well he rides him ! I wish I had a thousand (in gloves) on the event ! ' 



"'No hunter in England can jump that water, Ju.,' answered tlie earl; he'll break his 

 horse's back, and ihen he'll be sorry he did not come with us to the ford.' 



" Walter had leaped Fugleman over att azvkward plaee, under a tree, in order to obtain a 

 fair, sound headland, zvith a fall in Ids favour leading straight away to the zvatet's edge. It 

 was the masterly manner in which he increased his horse's pace down the incline that elicited 

 Lady Julia's enthusiasm. Fugleman's ears were pointed, his head was up ; he had no more 

 thought of refusing than his rider ; at the pace they were going it must be in or over. 



'"It's even betting! It's five to two! It's a guinea to a shilling!' exclaimed her lady- 

 ship, as Fugleman's quick, determined strokes bore him stride by stride towards his effort. 



"'I tell you it's impossible,' answered her father. 'Ju., don't be so slangy.' 



" ' It's a monkey to a mousetrap ! ' added the girl, looking demurely into his face. ' Papa, 

 the mousetrap's mine ! ' 



"As she spoke Fugleman landed safely on the further bank, made a false step, a short 

 stride, recovered himself, and was away once more after the hounds at his long, easy gallop." 



FALLING. 



When a man says that he never has a fall, you may take it for granted, if it be true, 

 that he never rides hard except where he perfectly knows the country and the geography 

 of both sides of every fence he puts his horse at ; that he never comes across an unex- 

 pected grip or blind ditch — in a word, that he and his horse never make a mistake. If a 

 man has very perfect horses, is never in a hurry, always picks his places, and always leaves 

 off the moment his horse is tired, he may ride many seasons without a fall. But a man 

 must be both very rich and a very good judge to find horses that never make a mistake, 

 either galloping or leaping, and must enjoy a prudence of character that would rob youth 

 of all its enthusiasm and half its pleasure. 



At the same time, while falls are to be avoided if possible, they are to be taken as 

 coolly as possible when they come. Those who are not afraid, and therefore not flurried, 

 are the least likely to be hurt, and still less likely if they keep to the golden rule of never 

 letting the bridle (and the horse) go. 



Some — these are the finest horsemen — never leave the saddle in a fall, and are ready to 

 recover their horse at the first opportunity; such have the horseman's structure — Hglit, mus- 

 cular, long limbs. Others — very good men in the hunting-field, but quite unfit to ride steeple- 

 chases or races — short, thick-thighed, with " wash ball " seats, are pretty sure to roll off the 

 instant their horse tumbles on his head. It is a disputed point which meet with the fewer 

 accidents. 



In one year — alluded to in the note to page 5 — I must have ridden more than thirty 

 strange horses, in strange countries, and that as hard as I knew liow. I had many falls— 



