SHOWING SADDLE HORSES 161 



There is still vast room for improvement, both in 

 the type of horses selected for winners and in the way 

 classes are worded and shows are managed. As con- 

 ditions are now, for example, in many shows the 

 genuine hunter has no chance of winning because the 

 requirements of classes are suited only to "ring" 

 jumpers, and the jumps constructed are such as were 

 never seen in a natural hunting country. This is, of 

 course, an evil that will, undoubtedly, always be bound 

 to exist to a certain extent, because, at best, hunting 

 and showing hunters are two very different games. 

 The best ring jumper is often too hot to hunt, and 

 the best and safest hunter in the world is often too in- 

 telligent to trouble about jumping in a ring. Never- 

 theless, this difficulty is being overcome in various 

 ways. The trick jumper can retain his classes, only 

 other classes should be added more adapted to the 

 hunter, and the requirements of entry should be strictly 

 enforced, so that none but the real hunter can compete. 

 For example, in such classes, "ticking" a jump should 

 be secondary to the form of jumping (an innovation 

 already adopted in some shows), and when the con- 

 formation is judged, more attention should be given 

 to the horse's ability to do the work required of him 

 and less to his being so "hog fat" that he couldn't 

 hunt if he tried. All such improvements, however, 

 would be attempted at once if the show managements 

 felt that the hunting men and women were behind 

 them and would lend a helping hand instead of sneer- 

 ing at shows in general and in particular at show 

 jumpers. After all, even though the "trick" jumper 

 may be, because of temperament, or, as is often the 

 case, merely from lack of experience, unable to cross a 

 natural country well, he can nevertheless jump fences 



