THE APPROACH 83 



anything less than perfection, are not satisfied 

 unless they can put a horse at a fence in the 

 correct way, every time. I do not believe there is 

 a more difficult art than this, because we have to 

 ride every horse in a somewhat different manner. 

 Some horses are very easy, and when riding such 

 as these we fancy we have mastered the problem, 

 only to find ourselves woefully far from perfection 

 when we get on to some other less temperate 

 mount. 



However, the rules are the same in all cases, 

 it is only the application that presents the difficulty. 



The first point is that the horse should be 

 systematically trained in a riding school, or 

 manege (which can be easily rigged up in any 

 field) to the complete obedience to the leg and 

 rein. He must be able to break into a canter 

 from the walk, his stride must be controllable, and 

 he must have learnt to jump on being given the 

 " office." 



One of the most common faults we see, especi- 

 ally when a rather larger fence than usual is to be 

 negotiated, is a man taking what he calls a " good 

 run " at it. He starts off as fast as possible; as 

 he approaches the fence his horse begins to 

 stick his toes in, and goes slower and slower 

 (not necessarily because he means or wants to 

 refuse, but because he is trying to get his stride 

 right, which the rider by hustling him prevents 

 him doing), until he reaches the fence, by which 

 time he is almost at a standstill. He then bucks 

 over, and if there is a ditch on the far side, he 



