TRAINING THE HUNTER 27 



start (there were really only two of us who got 

 away on good terms with hounds), and hounds 

 raced. Under such conditions there is generally a 

 little jealous riding, and " we two " set to work at 

 each other with a will. A few small fields with 

 big fences were crossed all right and then we came 

 into bigger enclosures. And then I found that my 

 horse absolutely did not know how to gallop. As 

 soon as I put him to his top pace he sprawled and 

 sprawled, and after we had run for about a quarter 

 of an hour he gave me a fall that it still makes me 

 sore to think of. A second fall and the deal was 

 " off." Yet he was a good horse, only his educa- 

 tion had been neglected. 



Having taught your young hunter to walk, trot, 

 canter, and gallop, you may now begin to teach 

 him how to jump, i.e. unless you have already 

 given him a few lessons as you were going on with 

 his other work. An old sportsman, who was 

 famous for his timber-jumpers, used to teach them 

 in this way. He laid a strong larch pole down in 

 the opening to the fold where he fed the young 

 ones with corn. They stepped over this, of course, 

 and he gradually increased the height till they were 

 obliged to begin to make little jumps, and he 

 increased it up to 4 feet 6 inches, which he said 

 was big enough for him, and I think it is for 

 most of us. If horses can be induced to jump 

 in this way, or to pop over a little drain in 

 coming for their corn, it is, of course, an excellent 

 plan. Otherwise it is, I think, advisable that the 

 jumping lesson should be postponed till the horse 

 has got pretty well through his rudimentary educa- 

 tion ; and this for the reason that, with a horse at 

 any rate, one thing at a time is sufficient to learn. 



