The South Oxfordshire. 219 



the country; and one would as soon think of Cowes 

 as a hunting centre as Henley-on-Thames. 



The horse for the South Oxfordshire should be an 

 animal that has been bred to stay and taught to jump. 

 He should have learned that water is not a matter of 

 fear and that a double ditch requires something 

 approaching to a second sight, or at least a pause for 

 a second spring. If there be a double instinct 

 required for the fences of the Yale of Aylesbury there 

 is a double argument for its brooks. A horse that 

 has been outpaced, or has been well ducked, hates the 

 very sight of water. On the other hand, familiarity 

 breeds contempt very readily as applied to brook 

 jumping. Take the converse — A Leicestershire horse, 

 however bold and dashing at most descriptions of 

 fences, is seldom good at water ; for the simple reason 

 that he rarely encounters it, and then is asked to 

 perform among a number of other hesitating ignora- 

 muses all exaggerating the danger and discouraging 

 each other. An Aylesbury horse, on the contrary, 

 has learned by precept and practice, that water 

 jumping, being part of his daily office, must be 

 acquired — and, consequently, he acquires it. 



For practical purposes the Country may be con- 

 sidered as divided into three very distinct sections — 

 to wit, the Vale, the Oxford Woods, and the Hills. 

 And in this way we will proceed to take them. 



The South Oxfordshire Yale runs from the north- 

 east corner of the Country across its whole breadth — 

 say, in a direct line to Nuneham Park. As far as the 

 town of Thame it may be spoken of as part of the 

 Yale of Aylesbury, and is readily recognisable as such 



