See Mr. Echvards, bow qiiictlj' he liaudles The Lamb or Bonazet when prejiaring for 

 the ■word : or watch Mr. Yates taking Bristles or Playman to the jjost, and you woukl 

 suppose that he was starting for a quiet canter. But on the other hand, notice either one 

 or the other on a rum one, and you will see them sit down and let their nags f<:cl that 

 they are not to be trifled with, and no shifting will get tliem out of the contemplated 

 journey ; or let us take the other side of the question, and flmcy George Stevens or 

 Johnny Page getting an imwilling one to face his horses, and wo have some idea of 

 what a determined horseman can accomplish. 



Sorry are we to say it, but this picture has a reverse, and perhaps more bad horse- 

 manship is to be seen in connection with steeplechasing than anj^wherc else. This 

 especially occurs in Ilunt, Military, and Farmers' races, and when men who may be 

 fairly good riders to hounds attempt the totally difierent task of riding races across 

 country. We are far from including all who ride in these races in this assertion, 

 as Mr. Goodman, Capt. Coventry, Capt. Harford, Colonel Knox, "the Walkers," 

 " the Wilsons," and many others, who can hold their own anywhere and every- 

 where, are to be seen sporting silk for them. But these riders stand out in promuieut 

 relief from the bulk of competitors, for the host of incapables we have seen per- 

 form at local meetings have been often so ridiculous in their efforts as to become a 

 perfect biudesque of the sport. It will perhaps hardly be credited that this very spring 

 we saw two men start in a match, neither of whom could get their horses out of the 

 starting field, while not a few have negotiated the first obstacle on their own account and 

 left their horses behind them. Many years ago, in a military race at Guillane, the fii'st 

 obstacle was a wall, at which a clever old brown horse stopped 'short, and deposited his 

 rider safely on the other side. With real game, howcA^er, he stuck to the bridle, 

 reerossed the wall, and, in spite of another regular cropper, won the race, though so 

 covered was he with blood that his colours were barely distinguishable when he weighed 

 in. But the flag is down, the team in then stride to a tolerably even start, and though 

 the captain on the hard-puller has got a little the best of it, and the short-tailed one 

 with Lord Zetland's coloiu's up (who, by the way, never patronises steeplechases,) is not 

 quite so quick on his legs as the better bred ones, we may faiidy conclude that they will 

 all get on terms with the leader ere the first fence is reached ; and wishing them a safe 

 journey and a quick one to the winning chaii', with the fall of the starter's flag we may 

 dismiss them from the scene. 



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