202 THE TURF 



Best of all courses, in the opinion of those riders 

 whose hearts are in the sport and never, on the con- 

 trary, in their boots, is Liverpool. In walking round, 

 and coming to the great black fences, which a man of 

 medium height cannot see over, it appears wonderful 

 that tired horses should ever get over them, for they 

 have to be jumped, they cannot be brushed through. 

 And here it may be remarked that thin straggling 

 fences are the most dangerous, for this reason : a horse 

 that is tolerably well accustomed to them will find that 

 he need not clear them, that they can be chanced ; he 

 will rise less and less by degrees ; but there is a point 

 of resistance half way up or so, through which he 

 cannot brush ; this he will at length find, and will be 

 turned over in consequence. A description of the 

 Liverpool course is here given. There are two or 

 three very awkward fences, one on the turn which 

 requires to be taken with care and consideration in 

 order to avoid the necessity of suddenly wrenching 

 the horse round to the left on landing, and another 

 with a broadish ditch on the landing side into which a 

 horse that jumps short is apt to drop his hind legs. 



Description of the Fences constituting the Grand 

 National Steeple Chase. 



1 and 17. — Thorn fence, 5 ft. high and 2 ft. thick. 



2 and 18. — Thorn fence, 5 ft. high, guard rail on take off side 

 2 ft. high, close up against fence. 



3 and 19 — Thorn fence, 4 ft. 10 in. high, with ditch on take off 

 side about 6 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, and a rail in front of said ditch 

 2 ft. high. 



