J INTRODUCTION 



For well over a hundred years the inhabitants 

 of Great Britain have had greater opportunities 

 for riding and horsemanship generally than the 

 continental nations, and were for many years 

 justly regarded as the leaders in all branches of 

 equine sport. We still have the best horses the 

 world can produce, and there are far greater 

 facilities for hunting and cross-country riding in 

 the British Isles than anywhere else, and in conse- 

 quence of this, steeplechasing and point-to-point 

 racing are more the rule here than in any other 

 country. On account of these advantages it has 

 been customary for many of us to underrate 

 the skill in riding and horsemanship, which 

 undoubtedly exists abroad. It is certainly true 

 that a larger percentage of the population of Great 

 Britain can ride a horse than on the Continent, 

 but a smaller percentage of riding men are so 

 fully equipped and qualified in the essentials 

 which make for successful horsemanship. Many 

 people believe that continental horsemanship con- 

 sists of haute ecole, and in teaching horses to 

 perform circus tricks. This belief has a foundation 

 in the fact that as many continental horse -lovers 

 have but few opportunities of practising their 



