' FINISH OF A RACE. 309 



standing up in his stirrups, with his body leaning 

 a little forward over the horse's withers, and his 

 hands down, somewhat below them. He now 

 changes the position of both body and hands : he 

 seats himself firmly down in his saddle, his body 

 catching, as it were, the stride of the horse ; and, 

 raising his hands off his withers, first gives him an 

 easy pull, and then, and not till then, the set-to 

 begins. He now moves his hands, as if describing 

 a circle, by way of rousing his horse, by " shaking 

 him,'' as it is called ; and although he does not 

 quite slacken his reins, he allows him to reach with 

 his head, as a distressed horse will always do, and 

 which is technically termed " throwing him in." 

 Then comes the last resource. If he finds, when 

 within a few yards of home, that he cannot win by 

 these means, and that his horse appears to sink in 

 the rally, he stabs him a few times with his spurs ; 

 gets his whip up in his right hand, giving a good 

 pull with his left, and uses it as occasion may re- 

 quire. 



Steeple-Chase Racing. — A new system of rac- 

 ing jockeyship has come into fashion in Great Bri- 

 tain and Ireland within the last twenty years, 

 which, however in character with the daring spirit 

 of our present race of sportsmen, we cannot com- 

 mend. We think it an unreasonable demand on 

 the noble energies of the horse, to require him to 

 go so very nearly at a racing pace (for such we find 

 to be the case) over rough and soft ground, instead 

 of upon smooth and elastic turf, with the addition 



