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FENCES AND GATES. 



The rider should never jump a fence if he can get 

 through at a gate without taking him too much out of 

 the Hne as it will only exhaust his horse unnecessarily. 

 This sort of thing is a certain indication of juvenile 

 horsemanship. In pulling the cope from a stone wall 

 that may intervene it is preferable to pull the stones 

 to the side the horse jumps from, and there will be 

 less danger in alighting at the other side. There is 

 nothing more likely. to bring ahorse down than land- 

 ing upon loose stones. 



The rider should never attempt to display his skill 

 by taking " near cuts " but should follow the hounds 

 as straight as the capacity of his horse and the country 

 will permit. He may have some idea of the ground 

 reynard will be likely to traverse, but he can never be 

 certain. A number of circumstances may influence 

 the fox to change his direction, and often under the 

 impression that the rider is making a " near cut " he 

 will get thrown out of the run altogether, therefore, 

 it is wiser as a rule to follow in the line of hounds. 

 The fox may alter his line by coming in contact with 

 a flock of sheep, or he may be " headed " by a shep- 

 herd and his dogs, which would cause him to change 

 his original line entirely. In addition to the inci- 

 dental causes already mentioned the hereditary vul- 

 pine cunning of reynard must be considered, which, 

 of itself, is sufficient to upset the confident prognos- 

 tications of the most inveterate followers of hounds. 



