Gentlemen Riders 



regard for him as a faithful and always cheery and amusing 

 friend. To my mind there was no finer sight than to see 

 this perfect man to hounds followed by the best and most 

 beautiful horsewoman that ever lived, their horses in perfect 

 balance, taking each fence just as it came in a run. * Bay's ' 

 only fault was that he sometimes lost his temper with his 

 horses and would then punish them very hard by bitting, 

 spurring, and jobbing them in the mouth ; but, funnily enough, 

 none of them ever seemed to resent this treatment afterwards, 

 although his punishments were neither necessary nor just 

 at times. 



" Between the flags, * Bay ' was a good man over a rough 

 natural country — at his best, I should say, in a point-to-point 

 — but on the whole his seat and style of horsemanship in 

 general were not quite that required in a jockey. There the 

 military part of it perhaps told its tale — at all events, he was 

 not a good finisher, and he won his race straight out as a 

 good man to hounds or not at all. Keen, determined, and 

 plucky to a degree, it was probably the element of danger 

 always present that made steeplechase riding so attractive to 

 him. Physically he was as hard and tough as a cat, a proof 

 of which he gave once — at Towcester I think it was — when 

 he fell with the crown of his head on an iron railing and 

 fractured his skull, when he not only recovered but rode just 

 as well as ever afterwards. 



" Previous to my winning the Grand National on Zoedone," 

 concludes the Prince, "I was staying a good deal with 'Bay' 

 and Mrs. Middleton for hunting at Newbottle Manor, in the 

 Pytchley country, and when I came in an easy winner, I 

 distinctly heard above the roar of the crowd, the loud * View 

 Halloa' with which 'Bay' heralded my victory. And aware 

 as I was how he would have given all he possessed to win a 



384 



