140 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



the rails meet and which might stake a horse should 

 he swerve. 



Over most all of these fences a fair hunting pace may 

 be taken, but no matter how fast the horse is going, 

 he should always be well in hand and not allowed to 

 sprawl. At trappy places, or drops, the horse must be 

 pulled up, and in negotiating an "in and out, " in which 

 the fences are near together, he must not be allowed 

 to go down at it so slowly that he will refuse, nor so 

 fast that he will be too close to the second fence to 

 jump it well. Should he refuse in an "in and out" 

 it will be difficult to get him out of it neatly, and in 

 order to do so he must be turned around and whirled 

 sharply at the second fence. 



A picket or slat fence is rather a formidable-looking 

 affair but will usually break easily, should one be so 

 fortunate as to be approaching on the side on which 

 the posts are placed. The ledge on top of a slat fence 

 is, however, likely to give a horse a big knee should 

 he hit it. 



The manner in which the ground, lying between the 

 fences, is traversed is almost of as much importance in 

 hunting as the actual jumping itself. Plough should 

 be taken as slowly as is consistent with keeping up 

 with hounds, and the ridges should be either ridden 

 down lengthwise, or else diagonally, and should never 

 be taken crosswise. Fields in which corn stubble re- 

 mains standing should also be crossed with care, for 

 the stalks are often very sharp, and I have known of 

 good hunters being lamed for the season by step- 

 ping on them. In riding through our dense Ameri- 

 can coverts it is generally wisest to let the horse pick 

 his own way and confine one's attention to keeping 

 the branches out of one's eyes by an uplifted right 



