62 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



more efficient, but if one is fortunate enough to be 

 crossing a fast flying country, mounted on a real 

 snaffle-bridle horse, there is nothing so delightful as 

 the simple "feel" of the snaffle rein. 



Unfortunately there are very few real snaffle-bridle 

 horses. It does not suffice that a horse can be ridden 

 in a snaffle without actually running away. To earn 

 the title he must not only have such a light mouth 

 that he can be ridden on a thread, stop, turn and flex 

 himself only a shade less readily in the snaffle bridle 

 than in a double, and most important of all, he must 

 gallop "naturally" collectedly, and not because of any 

 artificial aid given by the rider. Real snaffle-bridle 

 horses are born, not made. 



But whether in a snaffle or a double bridle, the ideal 

 carriage for a hunter's head is neither very low nor 

 very high, and he should keep his eyes on the ground. 

 If he carries too low a head he is apt to lean the weight 

 of it on his bit and be a very trying sort of mount. 

 On the other hand, this is preferable to a very high- 

 headed horse or " star-gazer," for he may hit his rider 

 in the face if he throws up his head when jumping, 

 and is unable to measure his jumps properly, unless 

 ridden with a very short martingale, which is always 

 a tricky business, unless one has very good hands. 

 There are, of course, many hunters who either hang 

 their heads or poke their noses in the air, and yet are 

 safe and reliable in spite of these faults, and not be- 

 cause of them. Other things being equal, however, a 

 horse who carries a good head, flexes his neck, and 

 comes to hand as readily as a perfect hack, is more 

 nearly the ideal hunter. 



Hunting men are too apt to ridicule " school" 

 methods, but they would do better to realize that, 



