THE SHIRES UNDER WATER 39 



It is worth pointing out (not to you, whom I follow, 

 but to those who ride with me) that, with the country in 

 its present state, it pays to take your fences, as much as 

 practicable, each of you at your own place. This sounds 

 absurd, for there are obviously not 300 places in a fence, 

 but, on the other hand, many a fence has a front broad 

 and facile enough for all of the 300 who are likely to 

 want to jump it. The first, and perhaps the second, 

 horse finds tolerably good foothold. Immediately after- 

 wards, in its present sodden state, the turf becomes 

 poached, the ground is rapidly trodden into a bog, and 

 the fence is battered down to the level of a few strong 

 growers or stumps, to the damage of the farmer and 

 danger to your horse. Believe me, you will ride safer, 

 and do far less damage if, whenever possible, you select 

 your own place and ride for it. (Besides, by so doing 

 you will demonstrate to the ruck of us what we want 

 chiefly to know, viz. where a chance piece of wire has 

 been left by the shepherd, and, further, you will then 

 be in a position to ride out the next Sunday and obtain 

 leave for its removal.) Even out of deep ground the 

 power of a horse's spring is something very marvellous, 

 if only he knows and feels where he is putting his hind 

 legs. But he cannot jump with any certainty out of 

 false ground. I saw fences jumped clean and clear on 

 Wednesday that you would have thought needed a spring- 

 board to enable a horse to cover them. 



There used to be a creed that one horse could very 

 well do the day's work up to Christmas, because the days 

 are short. And we used often to add a corollary, and 

 get the most out of our studs, by affirming that after 

 Christmas the same horse could do a whole day's work 

 because he was in condition. What it is to be after 

 Christmas I dare not venture an opinion. But, with 

 country in its present state, no horse could live the day 

 through, if only hounds could run. They can't. So 

 the reflection may stand aside — till our month of sport 

 comes, as most assuredly it will come very soon. 



My experience (and I speak solely on the ground 

 of economy and precaution) points to the fact that, for 



