238 IRiNno IRecollcctions an^ Uxwt Stones 



countries I ever hunted in. I can say from ex- 

 perience that I would sooner buy a horse that 

 had been ridden well over that country than any 

 other, as they have to jump all sorts of fences, 

 and some very big ones, and mostly out of deep 

 ploughed land. 



Mention of the Peterborough Steeplechases re- 

 minds me of three or four gentlemen who used to 

 come from Cambridge to ride. They were under- 

 graduates at the time, and although very good 

 horsemen, we had no idea then that one of them 

 was likely to turn out such a bright star in the 

 future. This was Mr. J. M. Richardson, who 

 afterwards twice won the Grand National at 

 Liverpool, on 'Disturbance' and ' Reugny.' He 

 also rode wonderfully well on the flat, and I have 

 always thought left off race-riding too soon. He 

 had few equals and no superior as a gentleman 

 rider. His three contemporaries were Mr. Cecil, 

 or " Parson " Legard, as he is now known ; Lord 

 Melgund (now Earl of Minto), who used to ride 

 in the name of " Mr. Roily ;" and Lord Aber- 

 dour (now Earl of Morton). They used to come 

 from Cambridge in the morning, and were only too 

 glad to get a mount of any kind. This is the sort 

 of rough material that you want to make steeple- 



