CHAPTER XII 



SHOWING HUNTERS AND JUMPERS 



"Always try to excel; not others, but yourself." 



Just as. the show hack is merely an especially fine 

 saddle horse, so is the show hunter, as far as conforma- 

 tion is concerned, merely a superlatively fine hunter. 

 When it comes to the "performance" of the animals, 

 however, we find, as already stated, that many an ex- 

 ceptional hunter is nevertheless absolutely no good 

 in the ring and vice versa; that many brilliant show- 

 ring jumpers — especially among those kept for show 

 work pure and simple, and which travel around the 

 circuit year after year, are no good in the field. 



The ideal combination of hunter and show-ring per- 

 former is very hard to find. If you happen to have a 

 good-looking hunter it will do him no harm to show 

 him, providing that it is not overdone. You should, 

 of course, not school him too often over brush or over 

 easily knocked down jumps, which might lead him 

 to take chances in the hunting field. Also if he shows 

 a marked dislike for the game, it were better not to 

 force him to do it, for fear of spoiling his temper. On 

 the other hand, I know of no case in which judicious 

 hunting would hurt the show-ring performer, and as 

 a general rule it only freshens him up and makes him 

 keener than ever. 



In saddle classes, as we have already seen, thorough- 

 bred blood only counts favorably under certain judges, 

 but in hunter classes the better bred a horse is, other 

 things being equal, the more likely he is to win. For 



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