JUMPING 127 



horse, who immediately starts refusing or bungling his 

 jumps. With nerve and implicit confidence in himself 

 and his mount, many an ignoramus on a green horse 

 can accomplish more than the skilful rider who is all 

 in a funk. 



There is an old saying that one will never become a 

 good rider until one has had seventy-seven falls. 

 This is, perhaps, working on the principle of Con- 

 fucius's words: "That our greatest glory is not in 

 never falling, but in rising every time we fall !" Pro- 

 viding that they do not destroy the confidence of the 

 rider, I am quite agreed that nothing is better for 

 one than a few falls, which have not been forced, 

 but which have come all in the natural course of 

 events. 



There is, however, a good deal of bosh written about 

 "learning how to fall"! Although I have had my 

 full share of tumbles, it has always appeared to me 

 that falls, as a rule, occur far too suddenly and swiftly 

 to permit practising any of the stunts regarding tuck- 

 ing one's chin into the breast to prevent the neck 

 breaking, etc. The best that one can do is to be as 

 limp as possible and trust to luck that one will not 

 break or bend any bones.* 



Apropos of this the celebrated cross-country rider, 

 the late Mr. Trumbull Cary, of Batavia, N. Y., in- 

 vited a party of hunting men from Geneseo to his 

 house for dinner. Afterward he took them to a room 

 in which were numerous small chairs placed on mat- 

 tresses. Mr. Cary then commenced flinging himself 

 over these chairs to demonstrate that, by certain move- 



* Holding on to the reins, as is so often recommended, may indeed 

 save one several minutes in remounting, but personally I prefer to 

 kick myself free of the debris as quickly as possible and let the horse 

 look after himself. 



