TRAINING 108 



horse that has never had any training in this small 

 point always arranges himself so that he is on the 

 crest of the road, or the upper side of a slope, 

 and that at the moment of mounting his rider is 

 on the 'down" side. This makes a very con- 

 siderable difference for mounting. If he is only 

 two inches up, and you are two inches down, it 

 represents a whole hand in height. It virtually 

 turns a horse of 15*3 to 16-3, and as the variation 

 in slope is often greater than this, it is frequently 

 like a question of trying to mount a nineteen- 

 hand horse without a mounting block. Very 

 often there is a handy heap of stones by the 

 roadside which would make a most convenient 

 one. But our "good hunter" absolutely refuses 

 to allow you to mount him therefrom, and we have 

 to jeopardize our breeches buttons in an apoplectic 

 effort to mount this, now, gigantic animal from the 

 muddy gutter of the roadway. On the top of 

 this, he often won't stand still long enough to allow 

 you to get your foot into the stirrup iron. We 

 keep the recording angel busy under circumstances 

 such as these, and when at last we are safely in 

 the saddle, we as likely as not vent our wrath by 

 jabbing him in the mouth, and calling him, well ! 

 what you do call a horse when you are in a bad 

 temper. 



These small trials and tribulations can be easily 

 overcome by training and a little patience. Firstly, 

 in the stable always mount from the mountingblock, 

 and also teach the horse to stand in a gutter or drain. 

 Never mount him until he is perfectly still. Let the 

 groom hold him, and talk to him and pat him until 



