86 HINTS ON HORSEIVIANSHIP 



But in order to get this, it is obvious that we 

 must train our horses. 



One of the most difficult things to overcome, 

 and one which is very prevalent, is rushing. If a 

 horse takes charge whenever he sees a fence, any 

 delicacy of handling is an impossibility, and for 

 the time being we are " passengers." 



Another point that has to be overcome is 

 " fretting." If a horse is anxious and fretful when 

 he is about to jump, it is often impossible to get 

 his stride right at point A (see diagram). Once 

 we have got him right there, then we can " plug " 

 him at the fence, and his fretfulness doesn't matter 

 any more. 



That is why it is so important to have a horse 

 collected, and in hand, because unless we can be 

 sure of his stride at that point, we cannot be sure 

 of the remainder. 



Out hunting we often don't get a chance of 

 " putting " our horses properly, on account of the 

 crowd, who won't give us room, but when we have 

 shaken off the crowd, and get room to ourselves, 

 there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to 

 try, at any rate, to put this into practice. 



With the Meath hounds, where they have deep 

 ditches to jump almost entirely, it is their practice 

 to take them from a standstill, and I found it a 

 most uncomfortable and unsatisfactory proceeding. 

 The reason they give is that if they were tackled 

 in the ordinary manner, the horse might make 

 a mistake, and a broken back would result, as 

 likely as not. I hunted with this pack for four 



