106 HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP 



now, but I remember once getting a very handsome 

 chestnut mare, who had a beautiful neck and good 

 forehand. A mare that was made for " bridling," 

 and who would have been a joy to ride under such 

 conditions. My first inclination was to put her 

 into the riding sch6ol and make her into a "charger." 

 But in those days I was not sufficiently experienced 

 to disregard the opinions of those who had hunted 

 longer than I, and who, as I then thought, knew 

 all there was to know about what a hunter should 

 be and should be capable of doing. " Surely you 

 ain't going to mess her about with bending and 

 figures of eight and all that sort of rubbish, are 

 you? Take her out and let her learn to cross a 

 country naturally. Leave the poor brute alone, 

 and don't go eternally messing about with ' right 

 shoulder in ' and those silly riding-school tricks. 

 Leave her head alone and she will leave you alone. 

 We don't want to see any of your peacocky circus 

 horses out with hounds," etc., etc., were the remarks 

 that were made. The result was that I never put 

 her into riding-school work at all. I rode her 

 continuously for nine seasons, and every year I 

 regretted the ad^dce more and more that I had 

 been given. 



I cannot believe that people who argue in this 

 way can have ever experienced the pleasure of 

 riding a well-balanced horse. I believe the hunting 

 public (I speak of the majority) know very little 

 about it. 



If we stand on the roadside, and watch the field 

 arriving at the meet, what do we see ? A great 



