RACE-RIDING. 295 



Olympic Hippodrome, consisting more in a sort of 

 harlequin feat of jumping from one horse, and 

 vaulting upon another, in a race, than riding and 

 finishing it, as it is now finished, in a severe trial 

 of speed, bottom, and jockeyship. Indeed, some 

 racers go with their heads so low as to bear up 

 their rider from the saddle whether he will or not, 

 and they would pull him over their heads, if he 

 had not the power of resistance from his stirrups. 

 Much nonsense was written by the late Samuel 

 Chifney, in a pamphlet called Genius Genuine^ on 

 riding the race-horse tmth a slack rein, which sys- 

 tem, although we by no means approve of a hard, 

 dead hand upon any horse, we are convinced can 

 never be put into practice with advantage to either 

 the horse or his rider. Exclusive of the necessity 

 of restraining a free horse, who would run himself 

 to a stand-still, if suffered to do so, or, in making 

 what is called a waiting race, all race-horses feel 

 themselves relieved by a strong pull at their heads, 

 and many will nearly stop, or, at all events, very 

 much slacken their pace, on finding their heads 

 loose. In our opinion, the hand of a jockey on his 

 horse should always be firm, though at times deli- 

 cate to an extreme ; and he should never surprise 

 or disturb the mouth of his horse, in his race, by 

 any sudden transition from a slack to a tight, or 

 from a tight to a slack rein. In fact, every thing 

 in horsemanship is best done by degrees, but at the 

 same time with a firmness and resolution which a 

 horse well understands ; and the hand which, by 

 giving and taking, as the term is, gains its point 



