247 



It is preferable to have all jumps at shows con- 

 structed so that if the horses strike them they will 

 be. easily knocked down, and accidents will thus to 

 a great extent be avoided. 



Bare hurdles, and hurdles filled with branches, 

 should be constructed to fall flat on the ground 

 instead of swinging from the centre as they often 

 do, and horses are not so likely to get their legs 

 entangled in them. 



It is a good plan to build walls with blocks of 

 wood from the foundation, so that when they are 

 struck by horses only the struck portion falls, which, 

 in addition to being safer for the horses than par- 

 tially solid walls, also economises labour and time 

 in repairing them. 



Water jumps should be faced by a couple of bare 

 rails at least two-and-a-half feet high, and the width 

 of the water need not exceed twelve feet, which is 

 quite sufficient to test the capacity of horses. 



Bare bar jumps are probably the most difficult 

 for horses to negotiate. At many shows only one 

 bar is used, which, in the opinion of the writer, is 

 a mistake, because when the bar is raised to five 

 feet or more, it is, roughly speaking, on the same 

 elevation as the heads of the horses. Its appear- 

 ance is very unnatural and confusing, and a hesitancy 

 is often apparent on the part of horses when they 

 reach it, as if they were undecided whether to rise 

 to it or to dodge under it. Two light rails beneath 

 the bar effectually prevent this, as they fill the space 



