58 HINTS ON RIDING TO HOUNDS 



3. Never ride carelessly at any fence, no matter how 

 small and trifling it may appear to be. I have seen the 

 very worst falls over small fences. The Marquis of 

 Waterford was killed when ridinof over a low wall 

 which a rat could have jumped, and Mr. Leonard 

 Morrogh, the best horseman we had in Ireland, met 

 his death over a trappy little wattled fence. Loose 

 and careless riding was the cause in both instances ; 

 whereas if their horses had been held together and 

 shaken up as they would have been at a more formid- 

 able fence, I sincerely believe both would have escaped 

 accident. The one bad fall I ever experienced was 

 caused in the same way. I was riding by the side of 

 Mr. John Preston (the Squire) in the park at Somer- 

 ville, and to try our horses' pace we raced at a little 

 fence with a drop on the far side of it. My horse rose, 

 but put his toes into it, and turned right over into the 

 fence. I threw myself free, going clean over and 

 falling down the drop on to the top of my head. So 

 much for not adhering to the rules which I had learned 

 as a child, and for the folly of racing when out hunting. 

 For when horses are as intently watching the hounds 

 as you are, or as you ought to be, it is unfair to ask or 

 expect them to think of two things at once at racing 

 pace. If you desire to race your horse, run him 

 between the flags, where he has no hounds to distract 

 his attention. Every hunting man of any experience 

 is fully aware that horses, in many instances, enjoy 

 hunting, and think and calculate more than their riders. 

 Therefore avoid distracting your horse's attention as 

 much as possible, and instil confidence in him and not 

 fear. There are some men who can ride to hounds 

 brilliantly on horses which no one else can do anything 



