JUMPING 105 



His neck should be long and straight, his head light, 

 loins strong, and back freely flexible. He should be 

 strong in his thighs and quarters, with the greatest 

 degree of shoulder and hock actions. For one thing, if 

 a jumper can't bend himself well, he will never come 

 into the front ranks. This qualification is a sine qua 

 non. Another very important matter is that your 

 horse should have " sound eyes " and a sound heart. 

 Regarding wind, soundness, of course, is highly desir- 

 able, but many excellent hunters make a noise, without 

 being worthless on that account. The intensity of 

 the noise varies in its degree. 



Having endeavoured to give the reader an idea 

 of the particular kind of animal which is likely 

 to develop into a good jumper, we shall now discuss 

 how to train him. 



The first question that naturally presents itself to 

 the trainer of a jumper is, at what age should his 

 schooling begin ? In the writer's opinion this 

 should not be proceeded with until the end of the 

 third 3'ear, the instruction then even being rudi- 

 mentary. 



Once your animal has reached the required age, he 

 should be indulged in an occasional visit to the Meet, 



