i8o THE TURF 



are likely to relax, it is a curious fact about the Grand 

 National victory of Anatis in i860, that before he won 

 at Liverpool he had not jumped a single fence from the 

 time that he ran there the year before. A bad rider 

 will soon spoil an animal that has learnt to jump really 

 well. If he pulls his horse about, or jerks his mouth 

 on landing, the animal will soon get clumsy and lose 

 time at his fences. Bitting is an important detail ; 

 not a few horses that pull hard against a severe bit 

 will go kindly enough in something that suits them, 

 and to which they do not object. A very astute 

 gentleman rider some time since found that the only 

 way in which he could hold one particularly hard puller 

 was by putting a net over its nose, as is sometimes 

 done with carriage horses ; but after a time the horse 

 that was thus treated o-ot accustomed to the device 

 and then it had no effect. Patience is essential in not 

 going too fast until a horse has made some progress 

 as a jumper ; and then by degrees he can be taught 

 to race over his fences in the style which is necessary 

 to win. 



