Hurdle Racing 233 



to liis hurdles, be over and away again as 

 quick as a rabbit. If lie "pitches" over, 

 and lands with a jerk, he must inevitably 

 lose ground, as he takes all the "way" off 

 himself, and has to be set going afresh. A 

 horse that jumps too big, again, is sure to 

 " get left " at hurdle racing, as he takes too 

 much out of himself at his fences : this, 

 however, is a fault that most horses soon 

 cure themselves of. In fact, as soon as a 

 horse gets at all beat, whether racing or 

 otherwise, he will, in most cases, be more 

 inclined to run into the opposite extreme 

 and " chance " his fences. 



Although to ride in a hurdle race looks 

 at the first blush a less risky thing than 

 steering a horse over the fences, I am not 

 at all sure that it is not, in fact, more 

 dangerous ; and I can call to mind several 

 very bad accidents that have happened by 

 collision, horses jumping into their hurdles, 

 others jumping upon a fallen rider, &c. 

 Notably Eobert I'Anson's fall on Lord Clive 

 (Sir George Chetwynd's) at Brighton ; J. 



