180 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



be doing. Pass any one you like, but don't race, and 

 when the judges come to the rail and stand in front 

 of your approaching mount to see his action from in 

 front, do not alter his pace, but keep right on. It is 

 the judges' business to get out of the way and not your 

 business to avoid them. The same might be said of 

 the ringmasters and totally superfluous grooms, who 

 bestrew the ring, and whom I prefer to knock down 

 rather than pull my horse out of his stride. If you 

 have to wake your horse up by a touch of whip or spur, 

 keep your eye on the judges, and try to do so when 

 their backs are turned. Don't waste your horse's 

 energy or your own unnecessarily, but make him go 

 most brilliantly and do his best when passing the 

 judges. To do this you have to have your eyes in the 

 back of your head, but you soon get used to it, and 

 become as clever at watching every move of the judges, 

 as a cat watching a mouse. 



In giving these instructions, I am, of course, taking 

 for granted that the actual " riding" of your horse 

 has long since become automatic, but if it ha"s not, 

 and you and your horse are very " green" the best 

 thing to do is to forget the judges and do what you 

 can to ride your horse advantageously. 



After the trot, the horses will be asked to walk again, 

 before the command of " canter" is given. During 

 this short walk, avoid getting into a crowd of horses, 

 as this will make it difficult for you to start your horse 

 into a canter properly. Get as near the rail as possible, 

 so that at the given command you can turn your horse's 

 head to the rail, touch his flanks (to keep his hindquar- 

 ters out), and break into a canter more easily than 

 if you are away from a the rail. 



As the horses are usually going round to the right, 



