STEEPLE-CHASE RACING. 311 



time, without becoming distressed, because his 

 competitors in the race are also doing so, and he 

 will be left behind, to a certainty, if his rider do 

 not endeavour to make him keep with them. That 

 horse, then, has the best chance to win who, barring 

 a fall, is the stoutest runner and surest fencer, and 

 whose rider is good enough, and strong enough, to 

 give him all the assistance he requires, at least as 

 much as a rider can give him, to enable him to 

 struggle through his difficulties to the end. ]3ut 

 there is one quality in a horse, especially calculated 

 for steeple-chase racing, and that is quickness. Our 

 readers can distinguish between a quick horse and 

 a fast horse ; the fast horse may require to be going 

 some time before he begins to extend himself nearly 

 to the extent of his speed ; whereas the quick horse 

 is on his legs in a few hundred yards. A similar 

 difference is observed by sportsmen in the fencing 

 of horses. Some are on their legs again, and al- 

 most instantly away, as soon as they alight on the 

 ground, be the fence ever so large, whilst others 

 dwell for some time after landing, previously to 

 their recovering their equilibrium, and so lose time. 

 It is evident, then, that a quick horse, with a quick 

 man on his back, is best adapted to a steeple-race ; 

 and would beat another, supposing leaping and 

 other qualifications, this excepted, to be equal, who 

 could give him half a stone weight over the Beacon 

 Course, and beat him. 



Steeple-chase racing never can be a game to bet 

 money upon, from the almost perpetual liability to 

 accidents ; nor do we think it fair that such animal 



