Refusers 291 



as the horse gives in we must make much of him and 

 give him some deUcacy. 



Doubtless some horses will jump when hounds 

 are running that will not do so in cold blood, but 

 those who urge that the way to cure a refuser is to 

 take him to the front out hunting forget that the 

 rider should always be in command, and not be sub- 

 ject to the caprice of his mount. A horse should not 

 be allowed in the field until he will jump willingly in 

 cold blood. One disadvantage of trying to cure this 

 vice out hunting is that when the animal does refuse, 

 — and I have ridden horses myself thathave" turned 

 it up" in the middle of a run after having gone 

 well, and with nothing forbidding in front of them — 

 the rider cannot assure himself of victory, as he has 

 nothing but his whip and spurs to help him. He 

 may be kept in the same field for half a day and still 

 fail, a very serious matter as far as curing the horse 

 IS concerned. 



If the worst comes to the worst, the despairing 

 rider who has seen the hunt fade from his sight 

 may generally get his horse to jump a moderately- 

 sized fence, and so gain a hollow victory, if he dis- 



