72 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



Joy in his work, intelligence, and a nice disposition, 

 as well as good form in taking off and landing over 

 his jumps, is of far more importance than the fact that 

 he may occasionally "tick" a jump or rattle a bar. 

 "Whalebone," the safest hunter I ever owned, and I 

 think I may say one of the best that ever crossed 

 Meadow Brook, nearly always gave the top bar of a 

 fence a sort of flick with his hind legs in passing, and 

 yet he not only carried me safely, but also carried 

 the whip of the famous Meadow Brook Drag for three 

 years without once putting him down. 



In the show ring, on the contrary, a jumper depends 

 for his ribbons on the exactness of his jumping. At 

 Madison Square Garden, and most other big shows, 

 unless a horse makes a practically clean performance 

 over the eight or more four-foot six-inch fences, he 

 might as well go home, for as a rule a dozen horses 

 will have done this. The show-ring jumper, in order 

 to jump well without the stimulus and excitement of 

 hounds, must, on the whole, be a keener and more 

 excitable animal than the hunter. In fact, many crazy 

 runaway brutes make excellent show-ring jumpers, 

 and I am sorry to say that a large percentage of 

 horses who win at most of our shows would be im- 

 possible to hunt. Nevertheless, there are many genuine 

 hunters who are able to win, and each year we find 

 them coming more to the fore in those shows in which 

 there are classes especially adapted for them. 



In addition to the ability to jump accurately and 

 consistently, making a clean performance eight times 

 out of every ten, the show-ring hunter must be keen 

 enough not to sulk because of the absence of hounds, 

 and yet should be well-mannered enough to enter the 

 ring quietly and jump collectedly in spite of all sorts 



