SHOWING HUNTERS AND JUMPERS 189 



horses, while on common horses they may be hogged. 

 The tails should be slightly pulled at the butt and 

 banged at the hocks (see illustration facing page 10), 

 or switched. The style adopted should be that which 

 is best suited to the animal's general conformation. 



The bridles used should be of whatever type in which 

 the horse goes best, either double or single, with a plain 

 leather front and a Cavasson nose-band (see Chapter 

 XV). Martingales and breastplates are optional. The 

 saddle should be of a good comfortable hunting type. 

 All appointments for hunter classes are given in detail 

 in the lists appended to Chapter XVI. 



On preparing to enter the ring, mount your horse a lit- 

 tle while before his class, and see that your tack is in 

 order. If possible, canter or trot around a bit outside of 

 the ring to warm him up, or, at an indoor show, walk up 

 and down on the stable floor; no horse can be expected 

 to do his best straight out of his stall. If you have 

 been unable to move around before entering the ring, 

 the next best thing to do is to canter once around 

 the centre of the ring on entering it and before you 

 straighten the horse at his first jump. 



While you are waiting your turn to go in, cast a 

 quick glance over the jumps and notice whether they 

 have been put up straight after the last contestant 

 has knocked them down. The men who build up the 

 jumps in the ring are ignorant, and often place the 

 bars with one end higher than the other or at a dif- 

 ferent height from that at which the last horse jumped. 

 The committee and judges are supposed to see that this 

 sort of thing does not happen, but very few judges 

 pay much attention to it, and it is generally up to the 

 exhibitor to look out for his own welfare. Therefore, 

 if you see a bar that is crooked or a wing that is not 



