My Racing Adventures 



solitude, but my mount, good old " Pickles," 

 jumped perfectly without company, and never 

 made a mistake. It was the last race on the 

 card. A friend said to me after it was over : 

 " You seemed to be hurrying a great deal, though 

 you had nothing to catch." 



" Oh yes, I had " — such was my reply — " I 

 wanted to catch a train." 



This work of " schooling " is, of course, very 

 important ; otherwise horses may easily make a 

 hole in their manners, if not in the ditch or their 

 jockey. The latter wants about nine lives at 

 least, and in the event of his calling for another 

 he may find the star gone. Still, no sport is more 

 delightful than that of riding over fences, especi- 

 ally when you win, and the punters, with cash in 

 pocket, do not forget to lead the applause. Such 

 exercise keeps a man wonderfully fit and well till 

 he gets a bad fall, perhaps, and is swept up for 

 sanitary or other purposes. 



Recalling, therefore, the lessons of my youth, 

 I agree with the pronouncement that it is im- 

 possible to lay down hard and fast rules (on paper 

 or elsewhere) with regard to steeplechase riding. 

 We can only acquire skill, as intimated, by con- 

 stant practice of the right sort, by cultivating our 

 natural aptitude to the fullest degree, by indomit- 



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