Steeplechase Riding 2 1 3 



was placed there. Many men, both now and 

 for years past, have declined to risk valuable 

 young horses over the " regulation ditch," 

 and thus the sport has suffered, and will 

 continue to suffer, simply because the autho- 

 rities are so supine or so obstinate that they 

 will go on in their own way, regardless of the 

 best interests of steeplechasing. What was 

 the thing invented for ? "To check the 

 pace," is the reply. " Has it done so ? " 

 Every one knows that 'chases are run to-day 

 faster than they ever were before. 



John Jones, whilst taking me through 

 his stables one day some seven years ago, 

 said, " Oh, the open ditch is nothing very 

 dangerous, if you properly teach a horse to 

 do it." That is just the point : "If you 

 teach a horse to do it." But a steeplechase 

 is not a circus. You don't want a " trick 

 horse ; " you want a hunter, and, in my 

 humble opinion, every steeplechase course 

 should contain only hunting jumps, such as 

 require no previous curriculum of the training 

 stable to enable the candidate to do in safety. 



