268 HORSEMANSHIP. 



of leaping in horses, is the power they have of ex- 

 tending themselves by a second spring, as it were, 

 when, on being suspended in the air, they perceive 

 something on the farther side of a fence, for which 

 they were not prepared. That they occasionally 

 do this under good horsemen, all good horsemen of 

 experience can vouch for ; but whence the fulcrum, 

 or the power to do it, is derived, it would be diffi- 

 cult to determine. All horses which have been in 

 Leicestershire, and other countries where the fences 

 are large and wide, become more or less accomplished 

 in the act of throwing themselves forvv^ard, as well 

 as springing upward, causing a very pleasant sen- 

 sation in the rider, as well as an assurance that he 

 is not likely to drop short into the ditch or brook. 

 We have already said, that brooks stop a field 

 more than any other description of fence, and for 

 the following reasons : — Very few men, and still 

 fewer horses, like jumping brooks. In the first 

 place, as concern the rider, they are very apt to 

 injure his horse by a strain, or a bad over-reach ; 

 secondly, water is deceiving as to the extent of it ; 

 thirdly, a wide brook takes much out of a horse ; 

 and, lastly, the banks often give way, after the 

 horse supposes he has landed himself ; and although 

 it is easy for him to get into a brook, it is often 

 very difficult for him to get out of one. Few- 

 horses become very good water-jumpers, unless 

 they have been hunted a good deal in countries 

 where brooks abound, and also have been fortunate 

 in not getting into one of them in their noviciate. 

 For this reason, it is a hazardous experiment to 



