TRAINING HORSES TO JUMP 19 



fences, he will measure his stride and get his hind legs 

 under him at the exact spot which is required to 

 enable him to successfully negotiate the highest or 

 widest fences. A horse reasons and knows from 

 practice, a deal better than his rider can tell him, what 

 he has to do and how best to do it without a fall. If, 

 however, his attention is to be distracted by the use of 

 whip and spurs, he can hardly be expected to think for 

 himself as he should, and otherwise would, do. 



Trainers of horses often experience much difficulty 

 in inducing them to think for themselves, and look at 

 and judge their fences, and as to where to place their 

 feet ; but I found that I was nearly always successful, 

 •even with the most nervous, high-mettled, star-gazing 

 youngsters, by driving them before me in the wake of 

 some well-trained old hunter or stable companion, 

 which was ridden quietly over in front of them ; and by 

 adopting this system I was able to carry their fencing 

 €ducation well-nigh to perfection before they were 

 ridden. As a rule they became most tractable, and we 

 succeeded in bringing to a very high pitch of training 

 many a horse which at first appeared a hopeless star- 

 gazer, by thus driving him in the long ropes and with a 

 * dumb jockey,' and thus there was no interference by 

 bad or nervous handling. If a horse is worth training 

 at all, he is worth training well, and under the above 

 system nearly absolute perfection may be attained. 



A horse-trainer, to be successful, must possess the 

 following qualifications, to wit, good temper, nerve, 

 and good hands. I regret to say that the last-named 

 quality is sadly exceptional. I have been very 

 successful in training many animals, such as dogs, 

 and I have also trained falcons ; but I always derived 



