REFUSING. 453 



so that I might personally explain things to him, he 

 told me that the animal, which was only a four year old, 

 had been "ridden very hard" by an officer, who, I am 

 sorry to say, has since lost his life in South Africa. 

 The dealer tried his best to make amends by subse- 

 quently offering me another mount for nothing ; but he 

 certainly did err in letting out this young unsound 

 animal, and spoiling my day's sport, for which I had 

 paid the usual guineas. My only regret in the matter 

 is that I galloped and jumped an animal which was not 

 in a fit state to perform such work. 



Horses are frequently rendered refusers by being 

 repeatedly jumped over the same fence, until they get 

 so disgusted with the performance that they will have no 

 more of it. Spurs and whip then come into play and 

 make matters worse. Even if the animal jumps the 

 fence after a good deal of unnecessary fighting, the 

 memory of this unjust punishment remains in his mind, 

 and is productive of the violent agitation which such 

 horses exhibit on being taken near a jump. It is a 

 wise plan to stop a " lepping " lesson immediately after 

 the horse has cleared the jump in good style, and then 

 make much of him (patting him on the neck and 

 speaking kindly to him). Punishing horses at fences 

 with w^hip and spur renders them afraid to face their 

 jumps ; because they think that they will be knocked 

 about, even when they are trying their best to give 

 satisfaction. Many faulty and bad tempered riders are 

 unnecessarily cruel in this respect. If a horse refuses 

 from seeing an animal fall in front of him, his natural 



